You are planning a party. Yay!
However, the thought of the post-party dirty-dish-pile is daunting, so you decide to look for disposable dinnerware. You have known about eco-friendly palm leaf plates for a while but are not sure if it is right for you.
Here is everything you need to know about palm leaf plates.
What are palm leaf plates made of?
Palm leaves – Yes, you got it right!
Palm leaf plates are made from the fallen leaves of Areca palm trees. These trees are found mainly in tropical regions of the Pacific, Asia and parts of East Africa. You might wonder how the leaves from a tree can be made into plates. Here is how…
As part of their natural growth cycle, the Areca palm tree sheds its dried fronds many times a year. Fallen to ground, the fronds appear as yellow-brown sheaths, thick and bark-like.
Local farmers collect the sheaths. These are trimmed to remove the leaves and then stacked in piles, before being sent to a manufacturing plant. The manufacturer cleans the sheaths with fresh water. While they are still damp, the sheaths are then moulded into various forms.
Heated plates are used to compress the sheaths while moulding. The temperature used is higher for larger products. The finished product is dried in sunlight to remove residual moisture. The plates are then cleaned and packed into boxes.
The finished products have a natural woody texture and every plate and bowl is uniquely different just like the tree it came from.
Highly sustainable, this process of ingeniously transforming what would have been an agricultural waste product into elegant dinnerware, is as green as it can get.
Palm dinnerware is sturdy and suitable for all kinds of food
When using palm dinnerware for the first time, you will be surprised at how sturdy it looks and feels. The wood-like sheaths and heat press moulding technique used during manufacture ensure the plates are strong and resilient. Sturdier than paper and plastic plates, palm plates give you the freedom to hold your food confidently with one hand!
The leaf plates can be used for all types of food, be it hot, cold, dry, wet or sticky. Unlike plastic plates, palm plates do not react with food, bend or collapse under weight nor do they soak up moisture like the paper plates.
Palm plates can be safely used to reheat food in the microwave or store leftovers in the refrigerator. Isn’t that convenient?
Eco-friendly and kind to environment
With no trees harmed and no chemicals or artificial ingredients used, palm leaf dinnerware is nature truly at its pure and unadulterated form. Turning what would have been an agricultural waste product into highly useful products is sustainability at its best.
Though widely used as disposable dinnerware, when used with dry foods the plates can be wiped clean and reused. Disposal is easy – just toss the used plates along with food waste.
Home composting is a piece of cake as the leaf plates naturally decompose in 2 to 3 months, leaving nothing behind but nutrient rich compost for your garden.
Difference between palm leaf plates and bamboo plates
Palm leaf plates are often confused with bamboo plates as they are both plant-based and have a natural woody finish. Bamboo plates are made from bamboo shoots that are cut down, flattened and moulded into different shapes. A popular manufacturing technique uses multiple bamboo sheets, glued together and heat pressed to strengthen the plates.
Palm tableware are more sustainable than bamboo tableware as no trees are cut down in the manufacturing of palm leaf products.
Is palm oil made from Areca palm trees?
No.
Palm oil is made from the fruit of a variety of palm tree called Oil Palms found mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia. According to WWF, Palm oil production is one of the major contributors to deforestation and engendering of many species of animals.
Are palm plates right for you?
Palm leaf plates are undoubtedly the most eco-friendly and sustainable disposable dinnerware available in the market. The sheer elegance, strength and durability makes them the perfect choice for any occasion.
At FOOGO Green, we are proud to offer high quality palm leaf plates, bowls and trays. Try them and we doubt you will ever go back to using plastic and paper plates.