What material is the degradable tableware made of?

Mar 30, 2025

With the continuous implementation of the plastic restriction order, degradability has become an inevitable trend in the future, and degradable products have gradually replaced traditional plastic products. Careful friends may find that the disposable tableware used for packaging have changed.

1.Pulp molded tableware (plant fiber molded tableware)

Pulp molded tableware products, in terms of raw materials, the disposable tableware is made of plant fibers such as wheat straw and bagasse, and is formed by the wet pressing process of pulp molding. Food contact requirements are met, and the finished product is finally prepared.

2.PLA degradable tableware

PLA degradable tableware are usually prepared by blending polylactic acid (PLA) with other biodegradable materials.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, my country will use degradable PLA tableware to make athletes' lunch boxes and tableware. PLA degradable materials come from crops such as corn, sweet potatoes, and sorghum that we usually see.

3.Cornstarch based lunch box

The corn starch degradable tableware is made of natural corn starch and plant fiber as the base material, supplemented by bio-polyester, polyol and other substances. Corn starch lunch boxes can be naturally degraded in the soil and natural environment. The degradation rate can reach 60%-80% according to the ingredients of the tableware. To a certain extent, it can replace plastic products and reduce white pollution to the environment.

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Which takeaway box is the healthiest? A must-see for takeaway packaging!

Most of the utensils for takeaway food on the market today are made of plastic. Careful people will find that there are numbers on the plastic boxes seen in daily life. What do these numbers represent? They represent different materials of plastic and are generally represented by the numbers 01 to 07.

No.1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

It is often used to make mineral water bottles, carbonated beverage bottles, etc. This material is heat-resistant to 70 °C.

No.2 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

It is often used to make plastic containers for cleaning supplies, bath products, etc., which can withstand high temperatures of 110 degrees Celsius, and plastic bags marked for food can be used to contain food.

No.3 polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

It is often used in the production of building materials and belongs to toxic plastic products. "Toxic" mainly refers to the single-molecule vinyl chloride that has not been fully polymerized in the production process, as well as the harmful substances in plasticizers. These two substances are easy to precipitate when encountering high temperature.

No.4 Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

It is often used to make cling film, plastic film, etc., and the heat resistance is not strong. When the temperature exceeds 110 °C, a hot melt phenomenon will occur, leaving some plastic preparations that cannot be decomposed by the human body. Therefore, when the food is wrapped with this plastic wrap for heating, the oil in the food can easily dissolve the harmful substances in the plastic wrap.

No.5 Polypropylene (PP)

It is often used to make special lunch boxes for microwave ovens. It can withstand 130 ℃. It is the only plastic box that can be put into microwave ovens. It can be reused after cleaning. It should be noted that some special lunch boxes for microwave ovens, the box body is made of No. 05 PP, but the lid is made of No. 06 PS, PS has good transparency, but it is not resistant to high temperature, so it cannot be put into the microwave oven together with the box body.

No.6 Polystyrene (PS)

It is often used to make bowls of instant noodle boxes and fast food boxes, which are heat-resistant and cold-resistant. But it cannot be put into a microwave oven to avoid the release of chemicals due to high temperature, and it cannot be used to hold strong acids and alkalis.

No.7 Other plastics (PC)

Contains bisphenol A, which is harmful to health.

The plastics from 01 to 07 are introduced above. The content looks a bit professional, but after understanding their respective uses, you will understand that only 02, 05, and 06 are high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) , Polystyrene (PS) is relatively safe to make lunch boxes.

Are paper boxes safe?

There are two main types of paper utensils for take-out catering.

One is the coated paper lunch box, that is, there is a thin layer of polyethylene plastic coating on the carton, which is equivalent to a layer of plastic film covering the paper surface. This kind of paper lunch box can withstand high temperatures of about 90 ° C, suitable for hot and cold drinks, and can play a good role in water insulation. The cost is higher than that of plastic lunch boxes, and the cost price is mostly less than 1 yuan.

The other is aluminum foil lunch box, the quality is better than the coated paper lunch box, its raw material is non-toxic, easy to heat, and does not produce harmful substances after heating; high temperature resistance, up to 660 ℃; easy to seal, strong barrier, sealing It can protect the original taste of food and prolong the shelf life of food; it can be recycled and reused efficiently. Aluminum foil lunch boxes are now popularized in aviation, high-speed rail and primary and secondary schools. However, due to the higher cost, takeaway catering businesses are less used.

At present, my country has national standards for plastic products and paper food packaging for food packaging. Shanghai and other places have also issued safety standards for paper packaging boxes for food delivery.

In view of the endless variety of fast food packaging boxes on the market, everyone must pay attention to the digital signs on the plastic boxes when ordering food and beverage takeaways, so that you know what to expect.

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