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Compostable dishes vs washing dishes (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 months ago by RideAgainstTheLizard@slrpnk.net to c/zerowaste@slrpnk.net

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Many cafés and fast food places these days provide disposable dishes and cutlery when you're eating in. This used to infuriate me, but it seems to be improving slightly now as the trend has moved towards using compostable dishes instead of plastic ones.

However, it's still waste. It makes me wonder, what is more costly in the long run? Providing customers with compostable items or running hot dishwashers and using soap and water all day to reuse dishes?

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[–] tehWrapper@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I would like to point out that the amount of materials and water to process and make compostable plates is huge. I think washing some stoneware dishes is a better plan.

People say dishwashers use less water than hand washing and they do. But the cost to get all the materials, the water to process it all, ship it, and make a dishwasher probably never come close to less in the end.

[–] RideAgainstTheLizard@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 months ago

Aha, the question of whether washing by hand or using a dishwasher is better! Another person on this thread made a good point about the amount of uses a ceramic plate needs in order to offset the carbon footprint of its production.

So, I suppose the real question is can we use a dishwasher enough times to offset the carbon footprint of its production? I would say yes, and if we can assume that a dishwasher loads is less intensive than the same load washed by hand, then the dishwasher is better in the long run.

But what do we do with the dishwasher when it's no longer usable?...

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 2 months ago

A lot of water and machinery is used in paper production. I'd bet the dishwasher beats any compostable on water usage amortised over its 15 year life, presuming it's usually run pretty full

[–] paperBark@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 months ago

The café my partner used to work at had all compostable takeout stuff. Despite having a city wide compostable pickup program they did not bother with a compost bin so it all went directly in the trash. So I wouldn't assume its going to be properly disposed of, even when proper options exist.

[–] Rogue@feddit.uk 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I seem to recall many years ago it was reported that a ceramic mug had such a high embodied energy that it was equivalent to 1000+ paper cups.

This definitely needs fact checking but it's an interesting consideration when you're considering the impact on the planet

[–] Don_alForno@feddit.org 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So I'm in the clear after 3 years of morning coffees?

[–] Rogue@feddit.uk -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Erm. ChatGPT reckons it's closer to 20-40 cups for the same embodied energy. So my recollection was well off the mark.

[–] satans_methpipe@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago

Chatgpt is not a source.