Inhabitat Staging » EATWARE COMPOSTABLE FOOD CONTAINERS

June 17, 2007

EATWARE COMPOSTABLE FOOD CONTAINERS

by Piper

EATWARE COMPOSTABLE FOOD CONTAINERS, Eatware Milwaukee, Biodegradeable plates and dinner ware, biodegradeable disposable plates, Eatware eco-friendly disposable plates and bowls, sustainable disposable plates

The next time you venture out for a picnic in the park, consider a greener food ware product- Eatware products come in a variety of shapes and sizes, can safely hold oils and water, be stored in the fridge, are microwave-safe, AND are 100% compostable. Eatware is made of 100% natural fibers from bamboo, sugar cane pulp, starch and water- and no chemical additives! While there are several biodegradable food container companies on the market, some potato starch based; some corn starch based, Eatware is among the most durable and safe- decomposable in the compost and dispersed in water in just two weeks.

While biodegradable materials are a step in the right direction, many contain plastic polymers to keep their shape, and can take hundreds of years to break down before they can begin decomposing into soil. In contrast, Eatware products can decompose in soil in just 180 days, and though we don’t recommend it- you could actually eat them! It’s easy to toss out that paper plate or Chinese food container, but even recycled/recyclable food container products are surprisingly un-green. Paper manufacturing arguably causes as much pollution as producing plastic polymers, not to mention depleting our forests in the process. Then there is extruded polystyrene (EPS) commonly known as Styrofoam, which has been recently banned in nearly 100 US cities due to its negative environmental impacts.

Eatware recently debuted at International Expos this year, including this Green Carnival in Hong Kong. Eatware and other nature-based products are distributed by Global Foods Trade and Excellent Packaging, to name a few. Some of these products are available at Whole Foods, but we’d love to hear about your experiences with biodegradable and/or decomposable food containers, and where you found them.

+ Eatware Compostable Food Containers

12 Responses to “EATWARE COMPOSTABLE FOOD CONTAINERS”

amy lou Says:

June 17th, 2007 at 7:56 pm

Yay…after throwing and attending 2 three year old birthday parties….this was a very necessary post considering it’s picnic/party season and it’s astounding how much trash a bunch of three year olds can create with pizza & cake! I am about to order mine now!

João Sousa Says:

June 18th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

I believe in countries like USA or Japan this packages can begin to take part of a big change because as we know they mainly eat the so called fast-food, food in a container and that is really a big amount of trash that each person gives away every time they eat. In Europe there isn’t a lot of consumption of those products allthough it’s rising with the acceptance of that type of food.

I believe that if countries like USA or Japan begin to think about using this kind of product that could be an example to the world and to change our minds like we did reffering to the CFCs!

jennb Says:

June 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

I just finished Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte, and she wrote that whether or not something is compostable depends on how it is landfilled, i.e. whether it’s dry or wet. The wet stuff has a chance, but dry landfilling will preserve newspapers for 100 years. This is a great start, but I just have a hard time imagining nice, loamy compost settling out of a mix of plastic wrappers and electrical wire…

Lindsey Says:

June 19th, 2007 at 2:17 am

In talking with professionals who actually conduct the life cycle analysis of these products, municiple waste managment organizations, and sustainability guru’s these products seem to be abother; “green seams good” but the reality is that these products aren’t necessarily a better solution than plastics. Consider the petroleum and energy behind the growing, manufacturing, and shipping of these products; they are not proven to be using less petroleum here than in producing plastic and still take lots of energy consumption to create. The PLA products also pose a problem in recycling industries, of which it’s difficult to notice the difference between recyclable plastic and compostable, and the compostable can contaminate the recycling efforts. As another commentor mentioned as well, depending on the type of landfill these products are going to, they may or may not biodegrade any faster than plastics. I find it a challenge in with the local industrial composter (these products will not biodegrade in your backyard composter; they need temperatures much hotter!) to accept many of these products as well as there are often strict standards as to how fast each product will actually biodegrade plus they don’t add any nutrients to their compost product so they’re considered a hastle. Just a note to consider the big picture; not all green means good. They may end up being proven to be a slightly better product than their plastic counterparts, but always choose durable food service ware if an option.

joan hohenstein Says:

June 20th, 2007 at 6:19 pm

I am with a company (Fraiche Fine Foods Ltd.) in Kelowna, B.C. Canada and we are trying to source non-plastic containers for fresh fruit for example sweet cherries. Please send information to the above email address regarding the containers you manufacture.
JH

Tayor Roy Says:

June 20th, 2007 at 7:13 pm

I try the EAtware in North Caroline food Court, bought it home and leave it in my back yard. it has been 90 day.
it is almost disappear like orange or a leave under the soil. ther have no chemical in there. I believe it.
this is really good. then we won’t have trash keep pilling up. EATware is a good Paper plate…..

susan Scheffler Says:

June 25th, 2007 at 12:51 pm

Please send me a price list for your disposable eatware.
Thanks.

Monkey Says:

June 26th, 2007 at 3:39 pm

Why are people posting asking for price lists and information? Uh, duh, this is a weblog, not a manufacturer.

Martha Larson Says:

August 23rd, 2007 at 2:19 pm

I just wanted you to know - I am so excited about your products after seeing them arrive in my local Whole Foods store last month. (Ashland Ave, Chicago). I travel weekly for work, and suffer many, many, many meals on the road - my biggest dismay is seeing all the piles of plastic food containers that pile up in trash cans nationwide. I currently take on the responsibility to wash any containers I use and stuff them into my suitcase to recycle at home. It’s not pretty, convenient or fun - but it’s the least I can do with so few environmental options. The healthiest items (i.e. salads) are often the worst plastic-packaging offenders.

To help fight this national short-term plastic-packaging epidemic, I am currently campaigning all the fast-food vendors that I frequent in the Chicago Loop and airports with the following message, pleading that they get on the ball with biodegradable packaging.

Example: Spa Cafe (Monroe St, Chicago)

I love your cafe and am a frequent customer - it’s so wonderful to have a health-concious venue available in the Loop. My main concern about eating out is the massive quantities of plastic packaging that are used for only minutes before being disposed to live eternally in a landfill somewhere. I hope your philosophy for healthy eating will also support healthy environment, and I encourage you to consider biodegradable food containers like those in the following link - these are now used at all Whole Foods salad bars with great success:
http://stage.technoverde.com/2007/06/17/compostable-containers-by-eatware/

I hope you will consider the opportunity to be a true leader in the Chicago area fast-food industry as one of the first to institute this impactful change.

Many thanks,
Martha Larson

thomas smtih Says:

September 20th, 2007 at 8:59 pm

i love containers and i love u

Carter Burnet Says:

October 29th, 2007 at 9:58 pm

Hello,
I am interested in a microwaveable container for a pot pie. I make pot pies that are 6″ and about 2 or 3 inches high and I need a lid as well. I sell them out of a pizza warmer in my restaurant as well as other hot foods. What I am looking for is a container that I can cook in as well as keep in an oven and sell out of a hot case.

Thank YOu,
Carter Burnet