7 Stylish Compostable Plates To Elevate Your Next Party
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Planning an event, big or small, can get overwhelming. Between food, decor, and logistics, all the little details start adding up. And if you’re sustainability-minded, you’re faced with another layer of complexity: disposable items may be essential to the vision, but they present an eco-quandary given all the waste. Well rejoice, sweet hostess or host, because a new generation of compostable plates are here to party. They’re stylish and sustainable, so you can preserve your aesthetic while hosting an event that’s kinder to the planet.
What’s special about these compostable plates?
First and foremost, these plates are good-looking and sturdy. “Compostable plates” may conjure an image of something very plain or au naturel, but these beauties offer a range of styles and colors so you can find something to perfectly match your aesthetic. They’re also strong and durable, according to reviews.
Secondly, the plates featured in this post have evidence to substantiate their sustainability claims. Because greenwashing be darned. Six out of the seven options you’ll find here are certified compostable, and the seventh is recyclable and made from FSC Certified paper.
Cute, Compostable Plates
1. Meri Meri
PHOTOS: FLORAH
Founded in 1985 by Meredithe Stuart-Smith, Meri Meri is a big name in party supplies. They launched their first reusable, washable bamboo fiber-mix collection in 2021 and now have a whole eco party collection. Meri Meri offers two types of exceedingly pretty compostable plates: a scalloped design in pastels, and a simple, round silhouette that comes in a lovely range of colors (both pictured above). I ordered both for a photoshoot for this post and can attest that they are striking and strong.
Note: I groaned when I discovered that these plates come wrapped in plastic, but celebrated that they came packaged in a cardboard box, with paper tape, wrapped in home compostable & climate neutral bubble wrap. So… you win some, you lose some.
Price: $14 (8-pack of small plates) or $17 (8-pack of large plates)
Plate sizes: 7.5″ and 9.5″
Materials: Bamboo, wood fiber, and sugar cane
Compostable: Yes, commercially (Certified BPI)
2. Pickytarian
PHOTOS: PICKYTARIAN
Pickytarian offers super cute, leaf-shaped compostable plates in three colors — white, brown, and purple — and two sizes, which reviewers rave are as sturdy as they are pretty. They also offer bamboo cutlery and tableware sets for ease of party planning and ordering. Pickytarian’s plates are perfect for adding intrigue and dimension to your tablescape, while supporting a lovely, black-owned and woman-owned small business that gives back. (They donate 5% of every order to fight homelessness and food insecurity.)
Price: $39 (50-pack of small plates) or $49 (50-pack of large plates)
Plate sizes: 8″ and 10″
Materials: Bamboo and sugarcane pulp
Compostable: Yes, commercially
3. Bonjour Fête
PHOTOS: BONJOUR FÊTE
Bonjour Fête is a bright, colorful brand with a wide selection of party and holiday supplies, including a nice eco-conscious collection. This collection features a mix of their own products and other brands’ sustainable options including, small world, Meri Meri! Bonjour Fête’s own eco line consists of three colors of compostable plates with a subtle wavy edge that’s elegant but practical, as it preserves a big flat surface. They come in Petal Pink, Sky Blue, and French Créme.
Price: $14 (8-pack of large plates)
Plate sizes: 10.5″
Materials: FSC-certified paper, other eco-conscious materials
Compostable: Yes, commercially (Certified BPI)
4. Ginger Ray
PHOTOS: GINGER RAY
Ginger Ray offers sustainable party plates in fun, unique designs. Their plates and packaging are recyclable rather than compostable, but they were a welcome addition to this post because they offer some lovely pattern variety in an otherwise pretty monochromatic category (i.e. eco friendly party plates). They’re also making real strides in their sustainability efforts as a company. Look for the “eco friendly” label on Ginger Ray products.
Price: $6.50 – $12 (per 8-pack)
Plate sizes: 9.8″ + funky shapes
Materials: FSC-certified paper
Compostable: No, recyclable
5. Repurpose
PHOTOS: REPURPOSE
Repurpose’s range of compostable household goods includes tableware, drinkware, and paper goods. In addition to their great sustainability story, Repurpose made the cut for this post because of their unique, square paper plates that add a little pizzazz to your run-of-the-mill white plates. Theirs are also cost-effective as far as compostable plates go, and they’re good for larger gatherings; they come in packs of 125!
Price: $33 (125-pack of small plates) or $47 (125-pack of large plates)
Plate sizes: 8″ and 10″ (square)
Materials: Sugarcane scraps and wood pulp
Compostable: Yes, commercially
6. Sophistiplate
PHOTOS: FLORAH
Sophistiplate offers their eco friendly disposable plates in two designs, each available in a range of colors. From what I’ve seen, they’re the only brand in the sustainable party supply space that also offers complete table settings, which include large and small plates, napkins, and utensils. It’s an easy way to secure several key components of a coordinated tablescape in one fell swoop. I ordered the above-pictured plates from Sophistiplate, and they are sturdy as anything.
Price: $10 to $15 per 8-pack
Plate sizes: From a 7.5″ to 12″
Materials: Bamboo fiber blend and other materials
Compostable: Yes, commercially (Certified BPI)
7. Bambu
PHOTOS: BAMBU
Bambu has managed to create 100% bamboo plates that are still very aesthetically pleasing, which is not always the easiest feat. They’ve got clean, simple silhouettes, or an option with a nice li’l edge detail for some intrigue. Both designs look lovely for a natural vibe at the table. Bambu is a thoroughly eco-friendly brand; they’re a B Corp, Certified Climate Neutral, and part of 1% for the Planet.
Price: $10 to $16 per 8-pack
Plate sizes: 5″, 7″, 9″, 11″
Materials: FSC Certified bamboo
Compostable: Yes, commercially
How sustainable are these options?
All plates in this post (other than option #4, which is recycled and made from sustainable certified paper), are certified as commercially compostable. This means they have to be taken to an industrial composting facility and can’t be composted at home. So the likelihood of these actually being composted comes down to a) how your local government handles composting and b) whether you’re willing to drive to a commercial composter.
So, is using commercially compostable plates a perfect solution? No. It ties into the bigger problem that compostable products and packaging have emerged, but processing facilities to actually compost those items have not kept pace. It’s really a systemic change that needs to take place. Another issue is that these options often come wrapped in plastic which, you know, isn’t great.
BUT despite the challenges with this solution, you may still feel like I do: plastic should be avoided when possible, and items that are compostable are a step up. Commercially compostable items that end up in a landfill will still take a long time to break down, because they likely won’t be exposed to the necessary conditions. But plastic takes 20-500 years to break down (and even then is really just breaking into smaller and smaller pieces). So commercially compostable options certainly still feel like an improvement.
If sustainability is your #1 priority – laying costs and practicality aside – the best thing to do in a perfect world would be to avoid single use products altogether and use non-disposable plates. But that’s just not a realistic expectation always, and so these feel like a better option. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on this in the comments!
Compostable plates for big events
Given that the plates in this post prioritize both sustainability and design, they tend to run pricey. If you’re in the market for a bulk order of compostable plates at a more affordable price, WebstaurantStore has a whole collection of certified compostable plates. Like these nice square ones, and many more.
Compostable plates vs. biodegradable plates
You might assume that biodegradable and compostable are more or less synonymous. I always did. But alas, not so. There’s a lot to be said on this topic, but here’s the headline: ‘biodegradable’ means able to be broken down my microorganisms, but it doesn’t say anything about how long it will take to break down, in what conditions, or what residues may be left behind. Yes, it’s biodegradable! (At 150 degrees Fahrenheit over 25 years.)
‘Compostable’ is a higher standard. A certified compostable product has been tested in a certain set of conditions (temp and humidity) for a certain length of time to confirm that it does in fact break down. In the case of BPI certification, which is what you’ll see most often from the products in this post, products must break down 90% in a 6 month period.
