Paper or Porcelain: Picking the Eco Option for Dinner Parties

Have you put your human washing efficiency to the timed test? I hope you and your family or roommates have finally come to an agreement on whether to machine or hand wash.

What if you don’t really want to wash at all? Like after 50 mouths have been fed. For such occasions as dinner parties, office lunches, church socials, or other mass-dining events, is it better to run several loads in the washer or just buy a couple extra trash bags and 100-count disposable plates?

We’ll talk about outdoor dining when picnicking or camping in next article’s week. For now let’s assume that all of the conveniences of modern indoor plumbing are available, although they don’t seem so convenient when faced with that mound of dirty dishes.

Which is better for the environment — paper or porcelain — considering water, electricity, fuel, wood, and greenhouse gas emissions?

In this dish lifecycle analysis from Stanford, Tufts, and the University of British Columbia for a 10-person dinner party, disposable means paper plates and reusable means ceramic or porcelain flatware. Take into account that it’s set in the greener-than-average city of Vancouver, so your local conditions might cause a greater environmental impact.

water consumed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Verdict:
Ceramic plates win on H20.
By a loooong shot.
Paper plates appear to win on CO2.
But barely, and only if taking the upper-end estimate of reusable plate production.

Here’s a starker comparison from Rodale’s Organic Life: “the production of a ceramic plate that you can use forever emits 2.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide, whereas using one paper plate every day for a year would result in 128 kilograms of emissions.”

The final factor is waste. Single-use paper or plastic plates usually go straight to the landfill because either fears of food contamination or a wax coating prevent them from being recycled or composted.

That makes ceramic plates the clear winner. To offset their carbon footprint, a porcelain plate will need to be used 150 times. So, even if you’re a bit clumsy and break one plate per year, if you’ve used it at least every other day for the past year it was better than using paper plates every day. Let’s not even factor in Greek or Jewish weddings.

 

CarrieABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carrie is an environmental educator, anthropologist, and translator. She took her passions for ecological, health, and women’s rights advocacy from the offices of Washington, D.C. to the streets of South America. Now in Colombia, she is slowly opening women’s eyes to the wonders of “la copita de luna” (Moon Cup) and Keepers.

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