With so many disposable dinnerware choices available, it can be confusing to find the best option.
Disposable plates have come a long way from the water-absorbent paper plates that bend and collapse in your hand. Disposable plastic plates and bowls brought greater convenience and durability. However, single-use plastic has a habit of ending up in landfill or remaining in lakes and rivers for decades, being non-biodegradable products.
It is undeniable that single-use plastics have become one of the worst environmental threats of the modern age. Luckily, bamboo and palm leaf tableware can serve as better eco-friendly options.
Disposable bamboo plates and bowls
Bamboo is found in many parts of Asia, Africa, and America. It is one of the fastest growing plants in the world.
Once the bamboo plant has reached maturity, it is cut at the base of the stem. The fallen stems are bundled together and carried to a manufacturing plant.
First, the stems are cut into cylinders. The outer bark, normally green in colour, is shaved off and discarded. Each stem is cut open and flattened by applying moderate heat. They are then cut and shaped into thin veneers.
Between two and four veneers are stacked and heat pressed. Food-grade adhesive is used to hold the veneers together.
Bamboo boats, commonly used as disposable bowls, are made from a single veneer. The unique boat shape is achieved by gluing together the edges.
Manufacturing palm leaf tableware
Palm leaf plates and bowls are made from the fallen leaves of Areca palm trees. Prevalent in warmer climates, these trees are found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Asia, and parts of East Africa.
As part of the normal growth cycle, the palm tree sheds five to six times a year.
Farmers collect the dried leaf sheaths. These are trimmed to remove the dried leaves and then stacked in piles, before being sent to a local manufacturing plant.
The manufacturer cleans the sheaths with water. While they are still damp, the sheaths are moulded using heated plates into various forms. The finished product is dried in sunlight to remove residual moisture.
Is bamboo a sustainable material?
Over the last decade, the commercial use of bamboo has grown significantly. Furniture, building material, clothing, scaffolding, toothbrushes, straws – bamboo has found its way into most households.
Being a plant that experiences rapid growth, and is capable of regenerating quickly from its roots, bamboo can easily be considered a sustainable crop.
However, rising demand for bamboo has led to forests being destroyed and bamboo becoming a source of monocropping. This has resulted in the degradation of biodiversity and an imbalance in the ecosystem, putting local flora and fauna at risk.
What makes palm leaf a sustainable alternative?
Palm leaf is an agricultural waste product. Palm trees are commercially grown on plantations for their edible nut and other useful by-products. The dry leaves that fall to the ground tend to be discarded or incinerated.
By turning what would have been an agricultural waste product into a useful product, palm leaf unlocks value where there was none. It is a wholly sustainable material which does not impact negatively on the environment or the people producing it. No trees are harmed. Deforestation is not a consequence.
Palm leaf dinnerware is safe and eco-friendly
Naturally sturdy, bamboo is suited for making reusable products that are strong, durable and quite literally, last a lifetime.
Though modern technology allows us to produce disposable bamboo dinnerware, poorly controlled manufacturing processes may lead to products that are potentially harmful.
Palm leaf dinnerware is 100% natural and environmentally friendly. No harmful adhesives or binding products are used at any time during the manufacturing process.
Disposable, sturdy and suitable for all kinds of foods, palm leaf is the perfect choice for anyone who wishes to make a conscientious decision to be kind to the environment when searching for single-use disposable dinnerware.