An eco-friendly startup from Peru has launched 100% biodegradable plates made from banana leaves.
The plates and dishes get totally decomposed within 2 months.
The project, named BioPlant, is started by a group of young entrepreneurs and aims to decrease the total plastic usage in the world.
In the first step toward lesser plastic waste production, the project has introduced dishes that are made from banana leaves and that decompose naturally in the environment.
Using every single one of these dishes is one step toward a cleaner planet with lesser waste.
These plates decompose totally in 2 months whereas a typical plastic plate or dish of the same specifications can take more than 500 years to decompose.
Plastics are some of the most problematic wastes produced by humans, causing serious havoc for the plant and animal life on the earth.
These degradable plates are heat-resistant and can be used for any kind of food, making them a viable substitute for the plastic plates.
The group got financing from Innovate Peru Program. They have also designed and constructed the machinery needed to produce the plates on a commercial level.
The machinery includes a grinder, a hydraulic press, and a die cutter. The machinery is enough to produce roughly 50,000 dishes a month.
Leader of BioPlant project, Josué Soto, told Peruvian news agency La Republica that they are collaborating with small producers of the Peruvian Amazon by providing them with the technical assistance needed to make the plates and offering them good prices.
The group aims to make a profit from the remains of banana cultivation.
Previously, the Chuwa Plant group introduced dishes made of cardboard, paper and banana leaves but all of them were disposable and intended for a one-time use.
These dishes are also heat and fluid resistant and can be used with all types of foods.
Soto also told that they do not need to cut down the banana trees or pluck the leaves as the leaves which fall during harvesting the bananas are enough to produce the plates.
BioPlant plates have a rectangular shape and measure 22cm x 16cm x 3cm. Due to being free of petroleum products like styrene, the plates are not carcinogenic.
BioPlant plates have been used in traditional celebrations throughout Peru and the group now intends to target the natural restaurants as a potential market for their plates.
“The approximate sale price of our dishes is 100 to 120 soles (US$30-35) for 100 dishes, depending on the thickness of the sheet, but over time it may be more accessible to all consumers,” Soto told La Republica.
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