Biodegradable tableware for green wedding breakfast
Jan 23rd, 2008 by Katie
We get lots of emails at Ethical Weddings from brides and grooms trying to plan a more ethical and green wedding – so we thought it was about time we started to share them with you – especially as you might be able to help us answer them!
So today, we’re Stateside (virtually that is!) with a bride who’s trying to track down an eco alternative to disposable tableware…
“I am in the US and trying to plan a green wedding. We would like to have recycled/biodegradable tableware but every website I find happens to be in the UK. Do you know or have any counterparts you would recommend in the US?”
We put the question to one of our US-based blogger brides, Sharon, who suggests:
“If she’s looking for something casual, these folks make recycled plastic tableware:
http://www.recycline.com/products/preservetbw.html
It’s re-usable (I use them for picnics, BBQs, etc) and comes in fun colors.
In a quick google search I also found these:
http://www.worldcentric.org/store/tableware.htm
Hope that helps!“
And our other US blogger bride, Thryn agrees:
“Regarding the tableware, the only website I know about is World Centric but I don’t know much about them. I recommend doing a search for “compostable tableware” to see what comes up…“
Treehugger also reports on compostable tableware, sparking off some interesting comments and suggestions from readers.
While from our own searches, we found this stylish selection of eco tableware from Low Impact Living who are based in California, or these compostable corn cups from Colorado-based Green Logic.
To finish up, let’s take a little peek at our Ethical Weddings directory…
In the UK, Little Cherry offers bamboo biodegradable plates as an alternative to plastic disposables. Their recycled plastic tableware started life as organic yoghurt pots and their handmade fabric bunting and tablecloths can be re-used year after year.
And if we’re going for re-use rather than recycle, Equita, one of our US suppliers, has a gorgeous range of eco chic tableware that might be an option for the wedding gift registry rather than the wedding breakfast table!
Green brides are talking about tableware in the Ethical Weddings Forum where you’ll find posts on ‘Recycled paper napkins and tablecloths?‘ and ‘Paper vs. china & glassware‘ – read more and share your thoughts with other brides and grooms.
If you have more tableware tips for us, get in touch!
Take care,
Katie
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Thanks for this post. I know there are a few companies in Northern California who produce corn-based compostable dishes and flatware. A word of caution: You can’t just throw these plates away. They are meant to be collected and put into a compost bin. They will not disintegrate properly in a landfill. I’m going to rent my dishes and flatware rather than use disposable.
Green Feet sells some disposable dishware. http://store.greenfeet.com/items.asp?Cc=DISPS_TABLEWARE
http://www.kokogm.com carries compostable one time use plates, cups, and stuff and they have napkins made from 100% recycled paper
A SLEAZY MIX OF POLITICS, MONEY, and MISLEADING PROPAGANDA POLLUTES CALIFORNIA’S ENVIRONMENTAL LABELING LEGISLATION
The state of California has passed a law, assembly bill number 2417, stating that the words biodegradeable, oxo-biodegradable, degradable, and every possible synonym for those words, in effect, belong to the corn-based plastics (PLA) industry. No biodegradable plastic made out of naphtha, an otherwise useless industrial byproduct, may be labeled biodegradable, nor any synonym thereof, may, given current technlogy, be called biodegradable, even if they do, in fact, biodegrade in one day longer than 120 days. This is true even if the biodegradable plastic alternatives are far more likely to biodegrade in a landfill that the corn based plastic alternative. The net effect of this is to increase the demand for corn based plastics. The result of making non-food items out of corn has driven a price spike in the world grain supply that threatens hundreds of millions of impoverished third world citizens with starvation.
A further effect of this is to deny the citizens of California the benefits of new technology that makes inexpensive, recyclable, disposable plastic products-garbage bags, shopping bags, plastic cutlery, straws, styrofoam cups and containers, deli containers, soda bottles, etc. etc. The corn based plastics cannot be recycled under in any existing system in place in California, whereas the naphtha based biodegradable plastic alternatives can. In fact, the recycling lobby is trying to ban corn based plastic bottles, because it gets confused with PET, and wrecks their recycled PET plastic batches.
Who is behind this? I can’t prove it, but I strongly believe that Cargill Inc. and Dow Inc. have been working behind the scenes to create this spike in corn prices, with no concern whatsoever for the lives of hundreds of millions of people who struggle to find food every day. Cargill has acquired the 50 percent interest in Cargill Dow LLC previously 100% owned by Dow Chemical Co. and has renamed the company NatureWorks LLC. That’s right, that friendly neighbor Dow that brought you napalm and Agent Orange. Cargill is a huge company that has a great interest in making things besides food out of corn-no matter how many millions of children in the third world starve to death as a result.
Campaign contribution laws in this country are so lax that I don’t think they even had to break the law to get away with this appalling tactic. So, Californians, the next time you wonder why biodegradable plastic items are so expensive in your state, and of such poor quality, my belief is that it’s because of your legislature, your governor, Cargill Inc. and Dow Chemical Company, Inc.