How to Recycle Used Paper Plates

If you must use paper plates, recycle them in a compost bin.

Paper plates are the only viable dinnerware option for large picnics, barbecues and festivals. Purchasing hundreds of reusable dinner plates for an occasional gathering or giving them away to concession stand customers is an unrealistic, if Earth-friendly option. Though recycling centers typically accept clean paper products, paper plates with food residue on them are unacceptable. For similar reasons, soiled plates are unsuitable for "upcycling," or making crafts. The best option for recycling used paper plates is adding them to your compost, where they will break down into garden soil over time.

Instructions

1. Scrape off as much remaining food from the paper plates as possible. You can scrape raw vegetable waste (watermelon rinds, for example) into the compost bin, but meat, bread, dairy products or buttered/oiled vegetables should go in the garbage.

2. Soak the plates for about an hour in a bucket of plain water until they become soggy.

3. Tear the plates into small pieces and deposit them into a compost bin.

4. Add a nitrogen source to the compost to balance large amounts of paper plates. Compost bins should have a carbon:nitrogen ratio close to 10:1. Paper plates are mostly carbon. To balance the compost, add a nitrogen source such as coffee grounds, tea grounds, hair, fruit peels or vegetable scraps.

Tips & Warnings

• Paper plates coated with wax are unsuitable for compost.

• Use biodegradable paper plates, which break down in compost more quickly.

References

• University of Alaska Anchorage: UAA Office of Sustainability: Recycling FAQs
• University of Illinois: Materials for Composting
• Urban Garden Center: Carbon-Nitrogen Relationships