It can be very challenging to find sustainable non-plastic options for disposable cups, cutlery, and plates. As with most disposable items for which we are all trying to find more environmentally-friendly options, companies will use as many buzz words as they can to get you to believe their product matches the values that are important to you. For example, the company ECOLipak claims on Amazon that their cups are "100% natural, sustainable, and biodegradable," "can be composted in a commercial facility; it only takes 3-6 months," "made of 100% natural plant-based sustainable materials," "eco-friendly," "Earth-conscious," "plastic-free," "without fear of harming the planet," and that "The leaves-printed disposable paper cups demonstrate man and nature in harmony." These buzz words mean nothing if the product is not certified, and after looking for some time, I could not find any certifications to back up ECOLipak's many descriptive words. And this is true for a majority of such companies listed on Amazon.
With all of this in mind, you could consider several companies for cups, including ECOLipak, Amazon Basics, Racetop, Responsible Products, Maytree, ENA, CantaGreen, etc. Out of this list, Maytree sells cups that are both BPI- and FSC-certified. BPI-certified indicates that the product is certified to be biodegradable at least in a commercial facility. It should be noted that even though Maytree may be BPI-certified, it is not recommended that the cups be composted in a home compost bin due to the fact that the temperatures in a home bin are not high enough. With that said, some companies do manufacture plates and cutlery that are compostable in home compost bins (see table below). FSC-certified ensures that the products are sourced from trees or other plants that were grown and harvested using responsible forestry practices.
After doing further research on the companies listed on Amazon that claim to provide biodegradable plates and cutlery, the results for all three types of dinnerware are shown in the following table. Brands not included because they did not include any certifications include EarthClusive, Bambu, ECOLipak, Responsible Products, Bamboodlers, Green Science, Green Earth, Hefty, Birchio, Litinee, Amazon Basics, and CantaGreen, among others.
Company | Product | Material | FSC-cert. | BPI-cert. | Home Compost? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EcoSmart by Dixie | plates | 100% recycled fiber paper & coating | yes | no | no |
ECO SOUL | plates & cups | sugarcane | no | yes | yes |
" | cups, cutlery & straws | corn starch | no | yes | yes |
Ecovita | cutlery | corn | no | yes | no |
" | cutlery | bamboo | yes | no | no |
" | plates | sugarcane & bamboo | no | yes | no |
Gezond | sugarcane | yes | yes | yes | |
" | cutlery | corn starch | yes | yes | yes |
MayTree | cups | paper & plant-based coating | yes | yes | no |
Stackman | plates, food trays & clamshells | sugarcane | no | yes | no |
Woodable | cutlery | bamboo | yes | no | no |
Hint
If there is a need for disposable dinnerware, purchase a package of cups, plates, and/or cutlery from any of the companies listed in the table above and send a comment concerning your experience, especially if you are trying bamboo products. Also, if you know of other companies not mentioned here, please feel free to send a response with their names and the types of products they sell.
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