Good Questions: Cute, But What Are They Made of?

Hello AT,

I found the most chic colorful biodegradable plates and utensils at www.plumparty.com, but I cannot find out what they are made from or who made them? They are listed in their tableware section...HELP!!!

Thanks, Kira

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Dear Kira,

That's a really good question. Anyone who sells something as biodegradable should at least tell you what they are made from.

They look plastic and could be a biodegrabable polymer, but we've never seen this kind of thing before.

Anyone have a clue???

Comments (13)

Those look like they're made of biodegradable resin. If so, they're made from corn or potato starch.

I'm not having any luck matching that specific set to a manufacturer, but both Cereplast and Fabri-Kal do custom orders, so it could be one of those two.

posted by wende in phoenix on 2007-03-16 17:15:09

Order them and find out!

posted by x on 2007-03-16 17:46:47

Soylent green... is PEOPLE!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2007-03-16 17:56:27

http://www.papcorn.dk/ These were the first biodegradable dishware to hit the market.

posted by Justin the First One on 2007-03-16 18:52:34

PapCorn's green dinner set is different:
http://mocoloco.com/archives/000125.php

posted by wende in phoenix on 2007-03-16 18:57:06

Believe it or not they are corn starch based. There is a store in NYC that sells them, Broadway Panhandler. When they got them in they called the manufacturer to find out and that's what they were told. Corn starch. I don't know what the process is or what the dyes are made of. The company is DCI, Decor Craft Inc. (decorcraftinc.com) Panhandler also carries bamboo plates that are re-usable and disposable.

posted by Sybil on 2007-03-16 21:25:21

It's all bioplastics, which in itself is an exciting field to watch. There's all kinds of stuff happening these days:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
http://www.bioplastic.org/
http://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/
http://www.fabrikal.com/greenware/

And that's just for starters. :)

posted by Justin the First One on 2007-03-16 23:30:11

The name PapCorn is just wrong.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2007-03-17 00:30:24

I got those exact little green forks (pictured) at B'way Panhandler...

posted by guido on 2007-03-17 09:42:19

It really looks like Melmac - an early plastic product from the Fifties. But Melmac was completely indestructible and probably still around in landfills all over the planet.

posted by Shannon on 2007-03-17 15:34:18

Hey -- I have melmac in my kitchen!

posted by Mid-C Frank on 2007-03-17 16:48:48

Off-topic, but I'm trying to email a "good question" to the address specified on this page (editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com -- with the appropriate mods made to that address) but it keeps bouncing back.

Help please??

posted by cowgirly on 2007-03-18 00:11:12

Just click the 'email us' button up top under the search box and fill in the details.

posted by Justin the First One on 2007-03-18 22:10:30