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"   Frequent backyard barbecues can mean many garbage bags overflowing with trash. When hosting a crowd, consider ways to cut your carbon footprint! Think about where your tableware comes from and where it&amp;#039;s going. If you&amp;#039;re not sold on the idea of buying a set of break-resistant dinnerware, you&amp;#039;ll find many disposable dinnerware lines now offer settings made from recyclable materials that can be reused, recycled, or composted after use. Keep cleanup easy and environmentally friendly with these three new options... Bare by Solo: A full range of disposable dinnerware including two lines of plates. Renewable plates are made from plant-based materials, promising to cut the use of petrochemicals. Compostable plates are made from sugar cane and have the added benefit of being compostable at commercial composing facilities. A quick test in our lab showed they easily withstood being used to reheat food in the microwave and they couldn&amp;#039;t be pierced when we sliced meatloaf with a steak knife. Compostable cups are also available as well as recyclable plastic cups made from 20% post-consumer recycled plastic. At $2.99 for 10 plates, it&amp;#039;s barely more expensive than traditional disposables. Mozaik Plastic Dinnerware: This plastic dinnerware can be used more than once, cutting down on garbage in landfills. While the manufacturer recommends hand-washing, we found they can be cleaned in the dishwasher (though the design can fade). They&amp;#039;re not safe for use in the microwave or oven. You can also buy matching bowls, forks, and knives. At $7 for eight 9-inch square plates, they cost a bit more than other disposable plates but reusing them will more than offset the cost difference.   VerTerra: Made from fallen palm tree leaves (meaning no trees are harmed!) that are harvested, steamed, and pressed, VerTerra dinnerware claims to use a mere 10 percent of the energy required to make other recycled paper plates. The plates can stand stints in the microwave, refrigerator, and oven, and are 100 percent compostable, naturally biodegrading in two months. That means you can feed your friends and your garden too! Produced along India&amp;#039;s Malabar Coast by workers who are paid a fair wage, these plates are chic eco-superstars that will impress your guests. At about $1 each for a dinner plate, these plates may be a bit pricey for your next block party; consider saving them for an intimate outdoor gathering. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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