Palm leaf disposable plates are among the most eco-friendly options for big parties today.
Here’s why.
Often, compostable plates and utensils aren’t much better than traditional plastic.
For example, you can only compost certain bioplastics at industrial facilities. And these facilities are scarce depending on where you live.
So wouldn’t it be amazing to have disposable plates that truly biodegrade right in your trash? Dishes that require no special attention or composting processes?
Well, enter palm leaf plates.
In this post, you’re going to learn where palm leaf plates come from, how they’re made, the unique benefits they offer, and the seven best options at affordable prices.
Use the list below to jump around or the product table to quick-browse the top 7 sets.
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How are Palm Leaf Plates Made?
A key benefit of palm leaf plates is the extremely sustainable way they are produced.
Rather than cutting down countless trees or other plants to produce dinnerware, palm leaf plates are made only from the fallen leaves of areca palm trees.
Areca palm trees shed their leaves very frequently and their large size makes it simple to craft into dinnerware, without the use of chemicals or binding resins!
No tree is actually cut down to produce areca leaf products. This is very unique and not something we often see with compostable tableware.
Once workers collect the fallen leaves, they are pressure washed and heat-pressed into plate shapes.
After that, the rough edges of the pressed leaves are trimmed to make perfect plate shapes and then sterilized.
Pretty awesome huh?!
Now let’s compare another popular biodegradable plate option with palm leaf.
Bamboo Vs Palm Leaf – Which is more Sustainable?
If you’ve browsed around online for compostable plates, you’ve probably run into bamboo dinnerware. So let’s discuss a few differences, and who wins in sustainability.
There is no doubt compostable bamboo dinnerware is a very popular eco-friendly option.
Bamboo and palm leaf both work great when you need a compostable plate that also degrades in your normal trash.
But there are 2 main differences that make areca leaf plates our preferred option.
Number one is, disposable bamboo plates are usually made from bamboo trees specifically grown and cut down for commercial products.
In contrast, palm plates are made only from the naturally-shed, fallen palm leaves of areca palm trees.
This makes them even MORE sustainable than bamboo.
Number two is that disposable palm plates biodegrade much faster than bamboo plates.
Biodegradable bamboo plates tend to take about 6-8 months to fully degrade, whereas disposable palm plates can break down in 2 months or less!
In addition to that, palm leaf dishware requires less time and resources to produce because it’s much easier to make. Instead of cutting down and refining bamboo stalks, palm leaves are easily gathered off the ground after being shed naturally.
In the end, disposable bamboo plates are still very sustainable and a great option, however palm leaf tends to be a bit more eco-friendly!
Now, let’s see an overview of palm leaf benefits!
Areca Leaf Plates Benefits
Aside from what we’ve already mentioned above, here is an overview of some areca leaf plates benefits:
- Biodegradable and backyard compostable in a compost bin or heap (can be made into nutrient-rich compost for soil)
- Can throw it into the normal trash bin (will degrade in a landfill)
- Bleach and chemical-free (no dyes or binding resin used)
- Hygienic and odorless
- Does not alter the taste of food
- Eco-friendly and extremely sustainable
- Each plate is unique with various leaf patterns
- Resists oil and water making them leak-proof and ideal for wet foods
- Will not get soggy and weaken like paper plates
- Reusable as long as you use them for dry foods and hand-wash/ air dry
- Can reheat food in the microwave for up to 2 minutes on high heat and reheat foods in the oven at 350° for up to 45 minutes
- Lightweight
- Strong and durable yet semi-flexible (great to hold large meals)
- Can use with any kind of utensil including stainless steel knives
- Suitable for hot and cold foods
- Plastic-free
And that’s just to name a few!
7 Best Palm Leaf Bulk Sets in Every Style
Whether you’re looking for a small set for home use, or larger quantities for parties, these various bulk palm leaf sets will suit any need!
Each option below has been researched and vetted so you can trust what you’re getting is true high-quality palm leaf from trusted brands!
Square Palm Leaf Plates
This 22-piece set of 10” inch square plates from Leafily are a great option for any use from small desserts to full course meals.
Leafily palm leaf plates are more sturdy than paper plates so you don’t need to worry about them folding up and dropping food all over the place!
Go ahead and pile it on!
When you’re finished, toss them in your normal trash bin or compost them in your yard.
Either way, they’ll break down very quickly.
Leafily offers 11 different options with different sizes and shapes and they offer you a money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied
Drawbacks: The only drawback I see is that these plates might differ from the picture visually. This is normal as the dishes are entirely natural, but some customers were upset.
Click here to grab this 22-piece set of Leafily square palm leaf plates.
Looking to buy elsewhere? Here’s an identical set on Etsy.
Next up is this 50-piece set from CaterEco, which includes 25 – 10” inch square plates and 25 – 7” inch square plates!
This bulk set of palm leaf plates is ideal when you want to be more efficient in your use.
For main courses, your 10” inch plate works perfectly and for smaller servings like desserts, you can use the 7” inch plates instead so you’re not wasting resources!
Another benefit to this palm leaf plate bulk set is the naturally-marbled dark spots which add a unique look to your table… But—
Drawbacks: Like above, each plate will differ from the picture as you dig through the set, due to the natural leaf patterns.
Click here to check out this 50-piece areca palm leaf plates bulk set.
This last square palm leaf plate is a jumbo set from Naturally Chic which contains a whopping 200 plates!
A larger quantity set like this is the ideal option when you’re having a large event like a wedding, big birthday party, holiday dinner, etc.
This deluxe palm leaf plates bulk set is beneficial regardless of having big parties or not because it’s actually more cost-effective, as bulk buying tends to be.
Buying a larger quantity will allow you to get each plate for a lower per-unit cost, saving you money in the long run!
Sustainable for the planet, and your wallet 🙂
Drawbacks: Like above, the plates will differ from the picture as you dig through the set.
Click here to grab this 200-piece jumbo set of eco-friendly areca leaf plates.
Looking to buy elsewhere? This set on Etsy has you covered. But, 100-pack’s are the largest they offer, so you’ll need to order two.
Round Palm Leaf Plates
These next few round plate options are from Naturally Chic. First up is this 25-pack of 9” round palm leaf party plates!
A perfect universal-sized plate that caters to pretty much any need, from larger helpings to smaller meals!
This 25-piece set is a good quantity for small gatherings, personal use, or a small family.
Drawbacks: Like above, the plates will differ from the picture as you dig through the set. Also, the edges may be a little rough.
Beautifully crafted and highly rated, you cannot go wrong with this set. Grab it here.
Looking to buy elsewhere? Here’s an identical set of 9″ round plates on Etsy.
This second 25-pack of palm leaf dishes provides you three divided sections to easily separate your food!
All of the unique benefits we now know and love of palm leaf plates, with the design and functionality of traditional plastic.
The only difference is, once you’re done using these, they won’t stick around for thousands of years!
Can’t beat that!
Click here to grab a 25-piece set of these divided eco-friendly palm leaf plates!
Our final option from Naturally Chic is this amazing palm leaf disposable bowl set!
That’s right. You’re not limited to only dinner plates.
Each bowl measures 5” rim to rim, 2” deep, and holds 10 ounces of food.
Because palm leaf dinnerware is leak-proof, you can go ahead and use these bowls for wet foods like ice cream, soups, cereals, and more!
Click here to grab a 25-pack of palm leaf disposable bowls today.
Looking to buy elsewhere? Grab this set on Etsy.
Patravali Leaf Plates
Although slightly different from palm leaf plates, I wanted to add patravali leaf plates to this list because they are another amazing biodegradable plate option that’s been used since ancient times.
Patravali leaf plates are Indian eating plates made from Sal leaves that are dried and stitched together with tiny wooden sticks or pieces of bamboo.
Just like palm plates, patravali leaf plates are fully biodegradable and compostable.
You can easily compost them right in your backyard, or throw them into your normal trash bin where they’ll quickly degrade in a landfill.
I especially love the detail and care that goes into making these plates.
They are true works of art that help you appreciate our ancestors who did not have the modern convenience we know today.
Our seventh and final leaf plate option are these beautiful patravali leaf plates from Foliumware!
These patravali leaf plates are meticulously crafted by stitching sal leaves with bamboo sticks, then heat molding them into a plate.
Workers use four layers of sal leaves for each plate, making these leaf plates impressively sturdy.
After use, simply throw them in your trash bin as they’ll biodegrade regardless of conditions.
Or if you’d like, toss them into your compost bin!
Like palm leaf plates, these are reusable for a couple of times as long as you’re only putting dry goods in them like chips and pretzels, for example.
Foliumware offers a full line of plates and bowls.
Drawbacks: Each dish looks a little different due to how Foliumware makes these plates. Also, you may find the stitched leaves to feel a bit loose, but this is normal – there’s no glue.
Click here to grab a set of disposable patravali leaf plates!
Looking to buy elsewhere? Here’s another excellent set of sal leaf plates on Etsy (10.25″ diameter).
For smaller dishes, this Etsy shop sells both plates and bowls in 6″ or 8″ sizes.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap for now on areca palm leaves plates!
We really hope this post has helped answer some questions you may have had regarding palm leaf disposable plates.
I can guarantee you that by using any of these options above, you’ll be well equipped for guilt-free convenience because let’s face it, life gets hectic!
P.S. Now that you have plastic-free and biodegradable palm leaf plates covered, check out our post on reusable and disposable eco-friendly utensils to complete your set up!
Hi there! I'm Adam, author and founder of TGL. Since 2016, I've produced and sold non-toxic kitchenware throughout the US. Today, I'm using my passion and experience in sustainable product manufacturing to help families avoid unsafe reusable foodware. When I'm not writing, you'll find me hiking or camping throughout Appalachia!
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