We recently invited a select group of our customers to test out how well our Naturally Chic Palm Leaf dinnerware products compost.
Here's what one of our clients had to say about the composting process, and her thoughts on the products overall:
"I tried these plates in the hopes that they would not only be eco friendly in production, but also compostable. I do two types of composting. Traditional barrel composting and Bokashi composting.
Bokashi composting is anaerobic and is an air tight system coupled with a bran that breaks down foods into a type of "pickled" product which can then be trenched and buried. It is a much faster system than the typical barrel system. The entire process takes about 3 months vs the 6-12 for general composting. Pictures of the Bokashi compost coming out of its bucket are attached. As expected, after 8 weeks, you can still identify the pieces of the plates along with the other food stuff items. I then trenched the Bokashi into my garden. I'm happy to report that the plates broke down at the same rate as the food once it was put into my garden beds! After 3 months, they were completely absorbed into my soil.
As far as the plates I added to my traditional composting, they are about 4 months into their breakdown. When I turn my compost I'm seeing no signs of them which tells me they've broken down at a very fast rate. Surprising as palm leaves typically are slower to break down. However, the manufacturing process coupled with food use before putting into the traditional barrel compost probably helped.
If you're looking for a great, eco-friendly plate from start to finish, I'd highly recommend these plates! The size I used were sturdy enough to use for appetizers for my guests and held strong while still breaking down at a good rate in both composting systems! They're also a great conversation piece to get your guests interested in thinking green."
