Vegware Compostable Cutlery
Compostable cutlery which can be disposed of along with your food waste has obvious advantages overplastic disposable cutlery. It has been reported that single use plastic utensils can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, and as most plastic cutlery is made from polystyrene, if the alternative approach is taken and they are disposed of by burning, then toxic chemicals are released into the atmosphere.
Who we are
Single Use Alternatives was founded by Adrian and Neil; two brothers who are passionate about enjoying the outdoors and caring for the environment. Concerned about the impact single use plastics are having upon the environment, we decided to offer a range of cost effective high quality, alternative products.
To find out more about our products simply browse through our website. If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you: please complete the enquiry form on our contact page.
In fact, rather than decomposing and being turned into compost as Vegware compostable cutlery does, plastic cutlery just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. As the world produces an estimated 150 million tons of single use plastic every year (much of which is casually dumped into the sea), many UK based food retailers are realising that they can do their bit by introducing compostable food packaging, and compostable cutlery.
The benefits of Vegware's range of compostable cutlery (like these ice cream spoons from Vegware), is that they can be disposed of in the food recycling bin, and sent off for composting with all the other food waste.
If a product is compostable, it means that it is biodegradable and can be broken down (in an industrial composting environment) in 12 weeks or less. The Vegware cutlery decomposes along with the food waste, and creates a balance of microbes, moisture and warmth, where the waste gets transformed into nutrient-rich compost that will in turn help plants thrive.
What is Vegware's compostable cutlery made from?
Vegware is made from plants, and not plastic. As it is commercially compostable and specifically designed to be thrown out with the food waste, there's no need to clean, sort or separate any of it. The cutlery helps businesses to solve part of the tremendous food waste and packaging problems that the world has. The cutlery is 100% recycled, made from RCPLA, a plant material with 90% less embodied carbon than plastic.
Closing the loop on compostables
Those concerned about the environment have long been concerned about plastic packaging, and thankfully the world is waking up to the damage that much of today's waste plastic packaging can cause. Traditionally, there was a linear model for design and production of any item which consisted of make, use and dispose. The concept of 'closing the loop' looks at how the disposal stage could be fed back into the creation of a new product.
In the case of Vegware's compostable cutlery, the loop is closed when the cutlery is composted and it helps to create compost which in turn feeds the soil so new crops can be grown. Industrial composting of utensils along with other food waste like this transforms biodegradable waste into stable, sanitised products to be used in agriculture; a long-term stable organic matter, which helps to restore the soil's structure, increases earthworm population and reduced fertiliser requirements.
If you want to know more about our full range of compostable products, please email us at contact@singleusealternatives.co.uk