America has a pretty big sweet tooth; in 1999, Americans consumed an average of 158 pounds of sugar-like substances (cane and beet sugars and corn sweeteners) each per year–a number that had been rising steadily since 1960. These days there are those who love sugar (even if they don’t realize they’re consuming it, as is often the case with high fructose corn syrup) and those who cite it as a diet danger, whether simply trying to maintain healthy eating habits or attempting to lose weight. The environment, if it could, would probably side with those who say no to the sweet stuff, as the growth of sugar cane has had negative effects like soil erosion and the contamination of nearby rivers during sugar mill cleaning.

But love it, like it or despise it, it doesn’t look like America is going to cut their consumption anytime soon. Thankfully, however, we’re now figuring out ways to make the most of the sugar we do use, with items like these Sugar Cane Disposable Dinner Plates from GreenFeet.

The sugar cane (or bagasse) material used for these compostable plates is a by-product of the sugar refining process and its use in the creation of the plates keeps it from being open burned, the previous method for getting rid of the waste. The eco-friendly disposable dinner plates can handle the freezer or microwave, won’t leak and can take oil or cutting without falling apart. After you’re finished with them, they can be set aside for recycling or buried in your compost, making them just as efficient for use as they are at greening the sugar industry.

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