Bagasse, which is the waste cane after the sugar has been extracted from the sugarcane, is an excellent substitute for Styrofoam, and tree paper products. Bagasse, pressed in a mold, has a vegetable oil lining applied to make it capable of holding hot liquids.No extra additives, (stated by the manufacturer), and no extra processing. With a sturdy texture between paper and cardboard, it possesses good insulation. Tableware and takeout containers made of this material are soak proof, and remain sturdy throughout your event. They may sweat when very hot items are placed in them, but don't leak or become soggy. Don't be fooled into thinking that they are sweet and edible. It would be like eating a piece of paper.

 Since Sugarcane is part of the grass family, it is an annual crop, naturally gluten free and is highly sustainable. A once wasted resource that was and still is burnt, is now used to replace Styrofoam which is a non-renewable, petroleum product, and doesn't degrade... ever.

Sugarcane containers can be put in the microwave, fridge and freezer. Never burn, nor microwave Styrofoam as it releases toxins into your food and the air. Sugarcane grass is considered a clean burn if you were going to burn it. If at all possible though, please dig a hole and bury it so that you are feeding and renewing new plants.

Composting doesn't require a lot of extra equipment. I take my compost, dig holes directly into my garden as soon as the ground defrosts, and I fill all of these holes with as much compost as I can while still being able to cover completely with dirt. In 2 weeks or less, the majority of that compost is gone. It has been eaten by worms. I have loads of worms. Big, red ones, who continue to hang around and breed. I give them an immediate food supply, and they bring their friends and family and leave me their waste, which is excellent fertilizer for my gardens.

 
I filled a sugarcane cup up with water and left it on my counter for 3 weeks. It didn't leak, so I filled it with soil, planted some seeds, and had seedlings growing in the cup. I transferred the seedlings to the garden at the appropriate time, cup and all. My gardens are sometimes out of control.

So have your event with our sugarcane containers, plant your seedlings in the used containers after, and transfer the whole thing into the garden. It will compost directly in the soil. (Remember to cut out the bottom of the cup when transplanting so that the roots can immediately dig into the new soil. You don't want your roots sitting against a decaying surface for long.)

The following picture was distributed to buying managers

 in the hopes of showing them the cycle of sustainability.

You can also see that it doesn't take a huge garden bed in order to grow enough for your family. I have several 3 foot x variable length gardens in my yard. Decorative and functional.

Comparing Sugarcane to Styrofoam

Comparing Sugarcane to Tree Paper

since after all, trees are biodegradable but not disposable.

How it is green: Annually renewable; saves trees; saves non renewable resources such as petroleum; compostable
How it is convenient: Same or similar to products you are used to; similar in price; microwave, fridge, freezer safe.
Bonus: It has good insulation and doesn't require a barrier. Example: Coffee Cups don't require sleeves to hold. Has another used before the end of its life cycle. The more uses in a life cycle, the more value to us and the environment.

                       Microwave, fridge, and freezer safe!
 
                    


To order click HERE 

      Cornstarch/PLA

Corn. An incredibly versatile grain when it is dried, and a vegetable when fresh or frozen. It is everywhere in our diets, and now it is used to replace disposable plastics too. Sugarcane and corn are from the same grass sub family and they are annual crops. Easily renewable, sustainable, and break down into non-toxic waste.

Poly Lactic Acid (Pla) is where the corn kernel is processed to isolate the dextrose (corn sugar), ferment it into lactic acid, and then create a material with the same properties as plastic. Most of the products we carry are heat rated to 105F, and can be washed and reused. We have forks, spoons, and knives made from corn that we send to school with our children. We wash them, put them back in the drawer, and send them the next time. There is no limit to the amount of times it can be washed and reused. As long as we keep them from temperatures over 105F, and keep them from being broken, they are long lasting. When they break or are worn out, we put them in the composter, and in 6 months they will biodegrade into a non-toxic material.

Now there is some debate on whether the material will break down in our backyard composters. The traditional way of composting may not work, but my way does. You do require heat, and even where we are in Northern Ontario, this can be achieved. Over the winter months, my compost is placed into a pail with a lid and kept in the back porch. A large pail or multiple pails. In this compost I pour in all of my scraps AND leftover tea, liquids from cans, etc. Into this slop, I placed a broken corn cup. Within 2 weeks it had started to show a discoloured area where the cup started to break down. There was heat from the fermentation process, and with the liquids and scraps without any added grass, dirt, etc. the cup broke down completely within the 6 month time frame. Actually less. This did not take into account our cold winters, so it would take longer if you kept the pails outside.

We no longer bother with regular or traditional composting as it were. We collect the scraps and liquids in pails, and when the ground is unfrozen, we bury it directly into holes every foot or so. We repeat this process every 2 weeks, until planting time. Then again, I am collecting it until I have harvested my garden, and the process repeats. We have excellent soil, lots of natural fertilizer from our worms who are attracted by the abundance of food, and fantastic gardens. Don't be fooled into thinking that you have to use special equipment, bins, or add powders, or really anything at all. Waste liquids from foods, coffee, tea will help everything liquify. Nature will take care of it. Just make sure to consider wildlife if you bury it.

Here are some pictures of my gardens, keeping in mind that they are varying lengths, but all 3 feet wide. We grow a complementary mix of everything together to make the best use of space. For example, root vegetables with shallow root plants such as Sugar snap peas.

Many people don't realize the difference between biodegradable and degradable. Biodegradable means that it will degrade into a biological material. Degradable means that it will simply break down into smaller pieces of the original material. For instance, a degradable plastic bag turns into smaller plastic pieces.

Pla is a biodegradable material since it is made from a biological source. It will biodegrade into carbon dioxide and water. It is non-toxic to the soil and water systems while it is breaking down, unlike plastic. Plastic sticks around for decades, and while it is breaking down it is leaching toxins into our soil and water systems. Polluting our water and our agricultural capabilities.

Pla is a great answer to replacing plastics and will work very well for those items we can't get around. For the issues it has, we can find solutions. It should be kept in the proper context though. We keep silverware in our drawer, and send the cornstarch cutlery to school with our kids. Kids lose silverware, so we give them something less harmful. Use the cornstarch cutlery, cups, straws, etc. when it makes the most sense to do so. If you already use plastic, please do switch. If you don't, why would you?

The use of corn as a replacement for disposable plastics is a viable solution. Of course, that would mean adjustments in other areas, but it needs to happen anyway. If you would like to increase your intake of the right foods to maintain a healthy lifestyle, then make room by taking just a little bit of the corn out, and increasing your intake of dark green, orange and red vegetables. Also, lentils, and beans instead of meat sometimes. Try making lentils with taco seasoning. Just wash and soak the lentils, cook until soft, drain excess fluid, and add a packet of taco seasoning, or make your own. Use this instead of hamburger once in a while. The trick is not to try and substitute meat, but to find non meat foods that you enjoy and eat them more often. Also, by eating less meat, there is less corn being fed to animals to fatten them up for slaughter.

For information about our Perrons Ecosolutions Shopping Boxes, its uses, and to order, click HERE