Biodegradable Disposable Plates Are Made From Food Waste

Updated February 10, 2021

Disposable plates and cutlery are a real pain on the environment -- ending up in landfills, oceans or worse. Designers have come up with a variety of solutions, creating disposable tableware from plant-based materials, dough or even orange peels. Tackling the issue of food waste and disposables simulataneously, Michela Milani and Italian design company WhoMade created Foodscapes, a collection of biodegradable tableware made out of food scraps.

© WhoMade & Michela Milani

While your first impulse with kitchen waste is to compost it, the designers' concept with Foodscapes was to add another layer of usefulness to the process, transforming uneaten food into a functional design that has been molded in the image of a seed, and which can hold dry food.

© WhoMade & Michela Milani

According to the designers, there are no additives, preservatives, colorants, thickeners, correctors, and artificial agents in the product prototypes, which were primarily made out of either carrot peels or peanut shells.

© WhoMade & Michela Milani

After use, the bowl can be dissolved in water, and then added to soil to enrich it, much like compost. It's a pretty clever idea that makes food waste even more practical than ever; more over at WhoMade and Michela Milani.