Advantages and disadvantages of different types of disposable biodegradable tableware

The paper pulp disposable tableware-The paper pulp molded type

Advantages:

1. The production process is relatively simple and building a new plant for paper pulp disposable tableware production will not take a long time.

2. The product has good insulation properties and a pretty appearance, and can be processed into various shapes.

3. The product can be recycled or degrade on its own.

Disadvantages:

1. The pulping stage generates a large amount of pollution to the environment.

2. Quality control and the quality of oil and water repellent additives are strictly required during the production, otherwise, problems like excessive evaporation residues are likely to occur.

3. The cost of single-use equipment is relatively high and the intermittent production leads to a low production rate.

4. The used products are inevitably contaminated by food and oil, thus recycling this kind of product requires new equipment and it can only be made into low-end products.

5. It takes a relatively long time to degrade the paper pulp tableware.

6. The paper pulp tableware is easy to get moudly in a warm and humid environment. Some products have poor water and oil resistance. In addition, they are not hard enough to keep themselves in shape.

The cardboard tableware-the coated cardboard type

Advantages:

1. Safe, hygienic, convenient and good-looking.

2. Can be printed with advertising or other patterns on the outer surface.

3. Small investment in production, conducive to large-scale production.

Disadvantages:

1. The pulping stage consumes a lot of wood and generates pollution to the environment.

2. The polyethylene film used as the coating can not be naturally degraded and it is difficult to recycle this kind of product .

The sugarcane tableware/straw tableware-the plant fibre moulded type

Advantages:

1. Make the best use of the waste.

2. The product has good strength and is smooth and shiny both inside and outside.

Disadvantages.

1. Further improvement should be made to achieve better color, flexibility, hand feel and smell.

2. Excessive evaporation residues, pesticides and aflatoxins.

3. Prone to get mouldy in humid environments and not good for long-term storage.

Starch Tableware-edible powder moulded type

Advantages:

1. The raw materials are renewable.

2. It's easy to recycle and deal with this kind of product.

3. The product is inexpensive.

4. Can be made into a different shape

Disadvantages:

1. The processing process is complex and the quality of the product is not easily controlled.

2. If not coated with a water and oil-resistant film, the product will be more difficult to meet national standards, for example, generating excessive evaporation residue.

3. The product quality is not easy to control in terms of water, oil and acid resistance.

4. The product is brittle, susceptible to microbial attack, hence, difficult to store.

5. Difficult to recycle trimmings

Photo-biodegradable tableware-Photo-biodegradable type

Advantages:

1. Environmentally friendly, nearly generating no secondary pollution.

2. No harm to human health.

3. Make the most of the resources.

Disadvantages:

1. The degradation process stops when there's no light, that is to say, the process is strongly influenced by environmental conditions.

2. A lot of photo-biodegradable tableware is actually not photo-biodegradable because it is made of ordinary plastics and added with degraders.  The essence of degradation photo-biodegradable tableware is the process of degrade large plastics into plastic chips, producing microplastics that are harmful to the environment and human health. Ordinary plastics are difficult to recycle when it becomes debris and will generate environmental pollution.

LA tableware-a biodegradable plastic moulded type

Advantages:

1. The materials used to make PLA tableware are renewable resources.

2. No industrial wastewater, waste gases and residues are generated in the production.

3. The product is free from harmful substances and safe for long-term use.

4. The product buried in the soil can be completely degraded into carbon dioxide and water after 90 days at the right temperature, causing no pollution to the soil or air.

Disadvantages:

1. Composting conditions are relatively stringent.

2. PLA is too brittle to be made into films or plastic bags.

3. Unscrupulous manufacturers often mix PLA with large quantities of other auxiliary materials such as polyethylene or starch for counterfeiting.