Drive down any street on garbage day, and you will most likely see recycling containers. However, do you ever think about what happens to the plastic ware that you use when you eat in a fast food restaurant? It ends up in a landfill. Thanks to VegwareUS, there are now environmentally friendly products available to U.S. food service businesses. VegwareUS, an offshoot of the Scottish-based company Vegware, will exclusively market Vegware brand eco-friendly restaurant supply products throughout North America.
VegwareUS manufactures bio-degradable forks, knives and spoons as well as compostable plates, bowls, take-out containers and hot drink cups. Vegware products are made from renewable raw materials such as corn, potato and cassava (a tropical root plant). In addition, the cups, which are Vegware's newest product, are lined with eco-friendly cornstarch instead of the more commonly used plastic lining. This appeals to many consumers as there is ongoing debate over the safety of plastics, especially when used for storing food that is exposed to high temperatures.
VegwareUS's cutlery is comprised of Plastarch (PSM) which is a thermoplastic resin made from natural starch. Their plates, bowls and take-out containers are made of Bagasse, a dry fibrous residue left after sugar cane stalks have been crushed to extract juice. While something made of a starch doesn't seem like it could hold up through the process of eating a meal, VegwareUS boasts that their products are durable and that their cutlery can withstand temperatures over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. However, as a result of their compostability, it is not recommended to microwave the plates, bowls and take-out containers longer than 2 to 3 minutes.
Robert Bond, VegwareUS owner, states that, "We're hoping to set an example. Vegware's fiber-based products present saner ecological and economic options that could have a significant impact in reducing the amount of waste generated from disposable tableware and cutlery products." Although Vegware products are marketed as disposable, you can reuse them. Just wash, dry and store away from moisture.
Vegware is so committed to leaving as little of a carbon footprint as possible that they carry-over their beliefs into their business practices. As a completely paper-free office, except when they are legally required to have paper copies of documents, they do not produce a printed version of their catalog. In addition, any printed materials that they do produce, like posters and pack headers, are printed on recycled paper/card stock with vegetable-based inks.
