What raw material/s are most plastic cups made from?
Plastic
In the US, most plastic is made from natural gas. The resin producers simply take what they want from the natural gas pipeline and put the rest back. PVC is a combination of ethylene and chlorine salt.
While crude oil is a source of raw material for making plastics, it is not the major raw material for plastics production in the United States. Plastics are produced from natural gas, other byproducts derived from natural gas processing, and
Paper Cups (not plastic cups) can be made from recycled paper products.
Glass cup products (not plastic products) can be made from sand.
More Info:
plastics.americanchemistry.com