Green Disposable Tableware: Greenmunch, VerTerra, Aspenware

It’s no secret that I am in love with Edmonton-based green company Greenmunch.ca. They have a huge selection of green and eco-friendly products, including green disposable tableware.

My brother-in-law was throwing a big 30th birthday bash and we decided to test out some of the great green disposable tableware Greenmunch has to offer.

The VerTerra palm leaf dinnerware has a selection of plates, bowls, and serving dishes. All the dinnerware is made from fallen palm leaves that would otherwise be burned. We got the 8″x8″ plates, which are beautiful as well as sturdy. I was impressed with how thick they were, and they easily accommodated hot finger foods like chicken wings and meatballs with no sign of leakage or warping.

We also used the Germany-made luncheon paper napkins. The napkins are a beautiful bold and bright colour, and you wouldn’t know they were “green” unless someone told you (they are bleached without chlorine, and made with water-based dyes). My brother-in-law was pretty impressed with the absorption factor in the paper napkins. Normally you think of paper napkins just being used to wipe your hands or mouth if you’re a little messy (and if you have a kid, you usually need a whole bunch of them to contain the mess). He was able to mop up a spilled drink without needing to use 10 napkins.

One note about the matching paper cups, that also applies to the paper straws available through Greenmunch – they are indeed paper, so they will indeed eventually absorb liquid. The paper cups never leaked, but if you left a drink sitting in it for a long time (i.e., over 1 hour), you would start to feel the liquid seeping into the cup. Same thing with the paper straws if left sitting in a drink for a long time – they would get soft and start to absorb the liquid. So – use paper cups and paper straws for drinking, not storing your drinks.

Aspenware wooden cutlery was used as well, and this sturdy lightweight cutlery performed superbly again (I previously reviewed Aspenware cutlery in my post about my daughter’s birthday party). It doesn’t break easily, it’s smooth and doesn’t give you splinters like some of the disposable wooden chopsticks you find, and best of all, decomposes in a maximum of 49 days. How great is that?

My brother-in-law’s birthday bash was a success, and he was happy he was able to make a smaller carbon footprint as a result. Eco-friendly parties are very doable, and can be done with style and good-quality products.

What will you use at your next party?

(Greenmunch.ca provided me with supplies at no cost in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.)