So, there are plates and bowls made out of pressed palm leaves, that are biodegradable and compostable. I bought some to find out what they are like.
I like the fact that they are all patterned differently. They are easy to wash (and the dark colored bottoms are hydrophobic -- most of the water beads up and rolls off), but they will warp unless you put them on something flat and put a weight on top of them. All in all, I like them. However, they are expensive compared to the Dixie Ultra paper plates and bowls. To get something like the same cost you'd have to use each plate 4 times or so, which is probably more washing than I want to do.
They are much stiffer and sturdier than even the Dixie Ultra plates and bowls I normally use.
Dixie Ultra Paper Plates, 10 1/16 inch
Dixie Ultra Paper Bowls, 20 oz
I like the fact that they are all patterned differently. They are easy to wash (and the dark colored bottoms are hydrophobic -- most of the water beads up and rolls off), but they will warp unless you put them on something flat and put a weight on top of them. All in all, I like them. However, they are expensive compared to the Dixie Ultra paper plates and bowls. To get something like the same cost you'd have to use each plate 4 times or so, which is probably more washing than I want to do.
So, I'm not sure they make sense for my use case. Perhaps they'd make sense for gatherings where you want something stronger and classier than paper plates, but still disposable. Or if you have strong views about biodegradable and compostable items.
I'd love to see these become popular enough to reduce their price-point to something closer to the Dixie Ultra stuff. Also, I can't find the bowls in the 20 oz size of the Dixie Ultra paper bowls.