Throwaway line

The increasing popularity of outside catering for parties and public gatherings is bringing about a transformation in caterers' attitudes to disposable tableware. According to Caroline Wiggins, sales and marketing director of disposables manufacturer Plastico, the ubiquitous white paper plates, serviettes and polystyrene cups are gradually being replaced by higher specification products in an array of bright colours.

With 350,000 visitors, this year's Glastonbury Festival was probably the ideal location at which to use disposables. It had 290 food outlets, ranging from campsite cafés and vegetarian eateries to burger bars, fish and chips, and venues offering a selection of more unusual and exotic dishes.

But such large numbers of consumers also posed a huge problem for the festival - how to dispose of the disposables. This was all the more significant because the festival was held in support of Greenpeace.

So the festival's organiser, Dick Vernon, turned to Greenpeace for advice. "We had previously used thin card plates, which contained a small percentage of plastic that didn't biodegrade," he explains.

Greenpeace recommended contacting disposables manufacturer Chinet.

The festival needed a product that was rigid but environmentally friendly. "Chinet disposables were perfect for Glastonbury because they are manufactured using hydroelectricity, are made of recycled materials and are biodegradable," says Vernon. "The range includes a wide variety of plates, unbleached paper cups and bowls. They are all waterproof and of china quality and they performed well at Glastonbury for both hot and cold foods."

Part of Chinet's service is to offer customised rim printing, which is particularly effective in building brand awareness, and helps boost the value of the meal.

"Having shown us various rim printing designs, we decided that all the disposables should be emblazoned with the Glastonbury logo. The Chinet logo was printed underneath," says Vernon. "The ink on the rim print was made from soya - another part of the vital environmentally friendly package."

But while disposables may seem the ideal product for a large outdoor event such as the Glastonbury Festival, Wiggins also claims that more conventional caterers are changing their attitudes towards them.

Chez Gérard, for instance, operates seven restaurants in central London with a prix fixe menu of £15.95 for three courses. Recently, the restaurants have replaced some of their linen items with Duni disposables. Two sizes of slipcovers (84cm x 84cm and 110cm x 110cm), and banquet reels for party bookings, are now being used on top of white linen base cloths. The covers are made of Dunicel, Duni's short-life material that is claimed to have the look and feel of linen. The material is printed with the Chez Gérard logo and provides a credible alternative to linen cloths.

The restaurant group provides a number of reasons for making the switch to disposables. The quality of laundered linen was variable, and products occasionally developed holes and tears. There were also hidden costs involved in counting the products in and out, and the occasional replacement of poor-quality laundered products often made it difficult to control total costings efficiently.

"Duni has worked with us and allowed us to express our creativity and individuality," says Jason Danciger, purchasing director of Groupe Chez Gérard. "The managing director of a well-known French restaurant company actually took a table cover from our restaurant back to France - a compliment to both Duni and Groupe Chez Gérard." n