Lowering your carbon footprint doesn’t have to mean hauling your dishes to a picnic and back home for washing, anymore. There are affordable options available for eco-friendly compostable flatware and dishes.
Paper vs. Plastic Picnic Ware
Disposable cutlery is now being made to biodegrade: Instead of using petroleum-based plastic, vegetable starch such as corn or potato is used as the base. Some argue that it still takes too long to break down, and often still winds up in a landfill.
Buying plastic or Styrofoam picnic ware means styrene and phenols were used in their manufacturing; long-term exposure to styrene has been shown to cause damage to the central nervous system, as well as contributing to greenhouse gasses in their production, as well as once they've been discarded and begin to deteriorate.
What is Biodegradable Plastic Made of?
Sometimes called “bio-plastic,” or CBP (cellulose based plastic) are biodegradable plastics made from resin made from vegetables, usually cornstarch and/or potatoes. When produced from non-GMO, sustainable farms, vegetable starch based cutlery can make a more carbon-neutral option for your picnic.
More recently, another sustainable disposable material used in creating sustainable disposables is sugarcane fibre. Look for products that are oxygen-bleached, uncoated and are chlorine-free.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bio-Plastic
Complaints against eco-friendly disposables are the prices and availability: Few bio-plastics are easily available in the average grocery or department store. As a result, the price may be higher when comparing it to the cost of “regular” petroleum-based disposable plastic cutlery.
The advantage to using CBP plastic picnic-ware involves the reduction of petroleum-based plastic – this creates less pollution in its production, and if created locally, may not increase your carbon footprint via transporting it to your location.
Many CBP cutlery companies are now selling their wares online – an online search by company name can lead you to the company website, which often offers online shopping options for their products.
Some online eco-companies sell them in bulk, and may present a discount on bulk orders. Ask your friends and co-workers to chip in, and you might be able to get enough to last several summer parties at a fraction of the cost of petroleum based disposables.
Disposing of Disposable Paper Plates
Unbleached, recycled paper plates may have a lower carbon footprint than CBP plates, but only if they are recycled, composted or placed in a city’s ‘green bin’ composting program.
Problems may present themselves if the paper plates were used for greasy, meat-based foods: Fat takes a long time to decompose in a garden and often attracts rodents, and insects. Many cities’ recycling companies often reject grease-stained paper products.
Disposing soiled paper plates safely, in a bonfire or barbecue pit may be a better option – providing your city does not have laws against burning waste, even if it is used as kindling in a bonfire.
What Should I Look For In Biodegradable Plastic?
To make sure you have a genuinely green product, find out what is in it; most packages have to include what they are made of.
- Check for a bio-compostable logo.
- If it includes any petroleum or parabens-based products, it is not a genuinely biodegradable product. The standard filler ingredient should be a vegetable based cellulose.
- Find out how long it takes to decompose. It should be labelled as being able to break down within 180 to 360 days; the average time is 180 days. High Heat PLA Corn Starch resin takes longer than average to break down, and is not suitable for composting at home.
- It should be able to handle both hot and cold foods, between the ranges of 150- to 200 degrees F. For instance, polylactide plastics (PLA) are made by fermenting carbon and sugars stored in plants, but it will not hold up to hot foods or warm liquids.
- Most bio-plastics are made with fillers – check the label to find out if the fillers are biodegradable.
Some Resources to Find Bio-Plastic Cutlery:
- www.WorldCentric.org
- www.greenplanetparties.com
- www.onlygreen.com
- www.EcoWise.com
- www.gogreeninstages.com
Naomi Szeben - Six-time Editor's Choice Award winner Naomi Szeben puts life into "green and simple living" articles for Suite 101.com. She graduated ...
