The Mercy Blog
Plastic vs. Melamine vs. Bamboo Plates. Which one's best?
by Min Kwon
on
Oct 19, 2021
It's common knowledge that plastics are bad for us and that kids shouldn't eat from them. But what about Melamine? What about Bamboo?
Generally, we stick to the plastic option because the information about other options is just too confusing.
As a result, we stick with plastic, as it's inexpensive and doesn't break, but all the time feel uneasy about whether we're doing anything that could harm our children's health.
I don't know about you, but I don't have time to sift through pages and pages of info about melamine, BPA, resins, wheat straws nor compounds. What the heck? You lost me at compounds. As I heard myself saying, ‘give me the simple stuff so I can make an educated decision quickly’, my 3 kids were vying for my attention for afternoon snack.
So here are my quick and simple break down:
Plastic
It is well known that plastic is chemically aggressive and does not biodegrade. In other words, toxins can leach into food and that plate will still be there in 100 years. Except for those designated dishwasher-safe (few things are), you must wash everything by hand. Who has the time? While plastics might be the cheapest option of all, cheap clearly comes at a cost.
Melamine
Let's talk about Melamine plates. In simple terms, it's just harder version of plastic. Still has harsh chemicals, not biodegradable, still has leaching toxins and will still be around for 100 years unless specified otherwise. It cannot be put through a dishwasher either unless specified. Then why is there so much fuss about Melamine? Why are so many people buying it?
Melamine is essentially plastic's prettier older sister. It can be molded into items that resemble ceramic plates or bowls due to its harder consistency. Beautiful, but won't break. In essence, and from a biodegradable and health perspective, it is still plastic.
Bamboo
So let's look at Bamboo.
First of all, it's BPA-free (another name for a toxic chemical), phthalate-free (another toxic chemical), and toxin-free. Hurray!
It's biodegradable!! That's a heck yes for the planet earth and your children will definitely thank you in the future. And guess what, some types are even dishwasher safe. That's a triple bonus for any mom.
With new technology Bamboo products have now become more accessible so therefore lower in cost.
So as far as I'm concerned it is the hands down winner!
