Wednesday::Wonderings|Eco-Disposable?

I recently spied these at my local supermarket, eco-friendly disposable paper plates. These plates, made by Chinet are made from recycled fibers, including post-comsumer recycled fiber (like recycled paper).

The greenest choice is reusable plates, cups and utensils, but that isn’t always the most practical. So, I pose this question: is the phrase “eco-disposable” an oxymoron?

I spied these disposable plates at the supermarket recently. (Yes, I take my digital camera grocery shopping…). They are made by Chinet, come in a variety of colors like this sagey green and a light blue, cost about $3 for this pack of 44 and—get this–they are made from recycled fibers INCLUDING a high-percentage of post-consumer recycled fiber. (Post-consumer, in case you’re wondering, means it’s made from paper we put out for recycling… like at the office or curbside at home).

So, this product is helping to “complete the loop” by using recycled materials. And it does help busy people who can’t wash tons of plates. But is it encouraging the use of disposables still?

Do you think it’s better to go green and make the effort to use reusables or is it OK to cheat a bit and still be green-ish by using these “eco-disposable” plates?