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I received the following question from Ritu in Connecticut: “I am a mother of a newborn and time is a luxury! I have purchased paper plates to cut down on dishes. But, after reading your blog I was wondering if it is better to use paper plates and save the energy by not using the dishwasher or would I be better off using a regular plate and thus using the dishwasher. Please note: doing the dish by hand is NOT an option right now!” Thanks for the question, Ritu. The best choice for the environment is to use porcelain (reusable) dishes and wash them in the dishwasher. Dishwashers use energy and electricity but at least the water can be treated and reused. Although convenient, paper plates require trees to be cut down and will eventually end up in landfills where they will never fully degrade. If you are going to a picnic or find yourself in a position where you really need to use paper plates, purchase products made from recycled paper or better yet potatoes. EarthShell produces plates and bowls made from renewable corn and potato starch mixed with abundant limestone. Both Wal-Mart and Target offer EarthShell products at select stores. This may surprise you but hand washing dishes is worse for the planet than using a dishwasher. Hand washing a pile of dirty dishes can require up to 20 gallons of water which is more than five times the water used by most Energy Star certified dishwashers in a single load. Rinsing your plates before putting them in the dishwasher is just as bad and can waste almost as much water. If your dishwasher is not strong enough to remove the food from the plates, use the dishwasher rinse cycle which remarkably still uses less water than hand-washing. What green questions do you have? |
June 19th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Great site! I love the practicality of it.
Thanks for stopping by La Marguerite. It is always so gratifying to connect with like-minded concerned souls such as you.
Keep up the good work. And for a bit of humor, here is link to my latest post:
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/tired-environmentalist-needs-shot-of-green-humor/
June 21st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Another water saving idea that I have been doing forever is using the water from the pet bowls to water plants rather than pouring it down the sink. I also use the water from rinsing lettuce in my salad spinner and from the vases when emptying them. Basically we use the water from numerous sources to water our plants, indoor and outdoor. You’d be surprised how much water gets “reused” that way.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
kathleen,
I like your idea for reusing water! I have 2 cats and several plants. I am going to start looking for water to reuse. Thanks for the tip!
(ps- great site!)
October 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am
[...] Originally Posted by Luap Wah Why do you use so many paper plates? Is it a finance thing or is it laziness or is it cos you don’t have potteries? I don’t get it! Paper plates are cheap, functional, disposable, and biodegradable. Unfortunately, their manufacture means they damage our planet more than washing dishes does. (And here’s something many don’t know: washing dishes in a dishwasher is better for the environment than doing them by hand.) [...]
October 19th, 2008 at 9:10 am
[...] means they damage our planet more than washing dishes does. (And here’s something many don’t know: washing dishes in a dishwasher is better for the environment than doing them by hand.) Considering that paper plate are made from trees grown on tree farms these days which actually [...]
November 25th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Most company who use trees for there products are required to plant trees to replace them. So how exactly are trees being lost? And what if instead of throwing used paper plates away, you reuse them for a few meals? Or you use the paper plates to start fires to cook your food/heat your house. Which is more green then?
November 27th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
So, would using “EarthShell” products be better than running the dishwasher at least 1x/day (we produce tons of dishes dirty). No, not an energy star machine either, its an older, larger one … We do wait until its full to run.
April 8th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Can paper plates be recycled if there is no food residue? We often use paper plates for dry food, then throw out crumbs. The heavier paper plates can even be rinsed? Trying to be eco friendly, just learning. But, I didn’t even see recycling as an option. If they could be recycled, which is better? Running a dishwasher or recycling paper plates?
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:37 am
if you use paper plates youll have to recycle alot more but,if you have to wash them
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:38 am
paper plates are better because you can recycle and save the planet, so we can have a better planet.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:05 am
i think the the paper plates r better cuz u can just throw them alway
April 28th, 2009 at 10:07 am
felicia thinks tht paper plates r better too {my bestie}
April 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am
i think tht paper plates r better {bestie}
April 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I think it is dumb because u can just throw them away without washing them
April 28th, 2009 at 10:16 am
i think people should wash their dishes because your house will be dirty . Also if people come over they will think your dirty and your house.See i am CLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAANN]
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 am
[...] But, before I decided to make a change I did a bit of searching to see if paper plates were worse for the environment than dish washing. Lots of opinions out there, most saying paper plates are worse. The response I thought best is here: http://simplewaystohelp.com/2008/06/18/paper-plates-vs-dishwasher-which-is-the-better-green-choice/ . [...]
June 4th, 2009 at 6:57 am
there is a trash clump in the middle df the pacific ocean that is twice the size of texas and it is 90 feet deep!!!
I think washing dishes wins.
TRY NOT TO THROW AWAY ANYTHING!!!
AND RECYCLE EVERYTHING!!!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
It’s really great/ surprising to hear that using a dishwasher is better for the planet than hand washing dishes. That’s a win-win situation! Be sure to check out http://www.globalgoodspartners.org/template/index.cfm
and learn about fair trade products that positively impact the environment.
August 20th, 2009 at 7:41 am
EarthShell plates are made from Potato starches that come from the waste materials (Biomass and GMO free) from US potato chip and french fry manufactures. Unlike paper, bamboo, or sugar cane EarthShell does not use any Bleach, Chemicals, Dyes in our process.
EarthShell manufactures its products in Missouri with all raw materials sourced from the US vendors. This gives EarthShell a huge carbon footprint/ lifecycle advantage vs anyone else. See link for data http://earthshell.com/lci.php .
There is a huge difference from using a biodegradable product that used the lowest fossil fuel consumption possible vs shipping in products internationally. Paper plates might be recyclable but the bleaching and fuel consumption in the processing isn’t efficient at all.
Additionally potato waste (Biomass) material is much more sustainable than the regrowth of a Tree.
Although we all try not to use disposable product, when the time comes when it is unavoidable please consider all the facts and choice EarthShell.
November 12th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Wow, good info, I liked it.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Djuna is right about paper plates not completely biodegrading. In landfills there is not enough oxygen for aerobic decomposition. The plates end up producing methane and sludge, a by-product of this process. In order to conserve water, my Portuguese immigrant grandmother used to fill both sides of the sink, one with soapy water, one with plain water. She would wash in the soapy water, then rinse on the other side. This used much less water. I understand I we now have a much higher standard for cleanliness because we have been spoiled, but we may have to resort to this as we have less water and fewer trees.
As for recycling, can paper plates be recycled when they have become dirty?
February 5th, 2010 at 11:56 am
I started using the EarthShell products too, they are so great. They were on sale for $1.99 a package so it was a NO- Brainer to buy them over anything else.
For the people who care the Carbon Footprint on these products are so great.