These Bio-Degradable Dishes Are Made Out Of Banana Leaves

A group comprised of young Peruvians has started a project known as ‘Bio Plant.’ The aim of the Bio Plant is to help the environment by making sure that the world uses less plastic. Bio Plant has made biodegradable dishes crafted using banana leaves for the sake of reducing the environmental pollution that is being caused by the excessive use and disposal of plastic.

Each banana leaf plate that is used instead of a plastic plate represents one less item that is polluting the Earth. The amazingly innovative product decomposes within two months. It is completely degraded naturally before the sixty days are over. On the other hand, the commonly used plates and containers that are made from Styrofoam (polystyrene) can take up to 500 years while causing unimaginable damage to the fauna and flora of the oceans and wildlife on land.

Bio Plant relied on the co-financing of the Innóvate Peru Program for designing and manufacturing the specialized machines required for creating these biodegradable dishes. The machines used include a presser, a shipper, and a die cutter. Thanks to the new equipment, Bio Plant is capable of creating 50,000 dishes on a monthly basis.

Josué Soto is the leader of the project and says that the company is working with small producers in the Peruvian Amazon directly. These producers are being given a fair price and the technical training in order to take advantage of the losses of banana cultivation. Josué Soto further added that they do not need to cut down banana trees or pluck their leaves when the pickers remove the clusters of bananas from the tree.

The plates being manufactured by Bio Plant are rectangular in shape and measure 22cm x 16cm x 3cm. These plates are not carcinogenic as well since they do not contain any styrene. They have already been used for traditional and patron celebrations in different regions of the country. Soto said, ‘The approximate sale price of our dishes is 100 to 120 soles (US$29.64-35.56) for 100 dishes, depending on the thickness of the sheet, but over time it may be more accessible to all consumers.’