Monthly Archives: February 2018

Paper Tablecloth Colours and Paper Napkins

We stock a range of disposable paper tablecloths and a range of napkins. Obviously these items will commonly be ordered together, however there are shade differences between several of the colours. This is simply because the items come from different sources (and indeed different countries!)

To assist with making an informed choice, we’ve compiled the list below for customers hoping to match the table cloths to the napkins for functions and events.

Tablecloth colour	Napkin colour	Comments
Black	Black (24cm,33cm,40cm)	Perfect match
Burgundy	Burgundy (33cm,40cm)	Extremely close match
Candy Pink	Pink (33cm,40cm)	Extremely close match
Lilac	Purple (33cm)	Close but not an exact match
Lincoln Green	Forest Green (33cm,40cm)	Excellent match
Metallic Gold	N/A
Metallic Silver	N/A
Purple	Purple (33cm)	Napkins are complementary, but lighter
Red	Red (33cm,40cm)
Red Gingham	N/A
Royal Blue	Dark Blue (33cm,40cm)	Very close match
White	White (24cm,33cm,40cm)	Perfect match

We offer several other colours in our range of napkins which may be complementary to existing tablecloth colours, however these are the colours and shades which either match or are very close to matching. Our sales team can assist further with matching the colours if required. Our paper tablecloths can be found at: https://innsupplies.com/disposable/paper-table-cloths

How Green are Disposable Paper Tablecloths?

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Disposable tablecovers are occasionally dismissed as an alternative to using linen on environmental grounds, there’s a somewhat unfair stigma about disposable products being wasteful. This isn’t always true however, our range of paper tablecloths are made from 100% recycled paper meaning they have negligible effect on natural resources. Only disposable products that come into direct contact with food / drink need to be made from virgin grade paperboard, table covers do not fall into this category. They’re made from an ethical and completely renewable resource, 100% recycled.

In terms of waste, the product is 100% paper and therefore completely biodegradable. It will degrade naturally like any other waste paper, ideally however it should be sorted and disposed of with your paper waste collection so it can be recycled once again.

The decision about the type of tablecover used basically boils down to the type of usage envisaged. Temporary or one-off events are ideally suited to disposable tableware, often there are no facilities for laundering and quick changes can be made in the event of a spillage. Restaurants often use these too during busier times, sometimes in addition to a traditional tablecloth to catch spills and reduce the amount of laundering required. For higher volume users we supply full cases of 200 units, in addition to the standard packs of 25.

We stock disposable cloths in the most common 3ft square size (90x90cm), a common 2 seater table size used in restaurants. Our tablecovers come in a pack containing 25 items, joined together but with perforations for separation. You could use 2 or 3 of these together if required if covering a larger table. Beyond this, a banquet roll might be more suitable.

Please feel free to get in touch with our sales team for further information. Our paper tablecloths can be found at: https://innsupplies.com/disposable/paper-table-cloths

Marine waste and the plastic straw

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It seems that barely a day goes by without another article in the news claiming that plastic straws are littering the UK coastlines, affecting wildlife and upsetting locals. The following article from BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-42607662) discusses how the Marine Conservation Society is backing a proposed ban (by the Final Straw campaign) on single use plastic straws in Scotland.

The goal here is a sound one in principle, there is litter on UK coastlines and it does indeed affect wildlife; there’s no disputing this. As retailers of single use disposables we’re keen to promote the ethical and responsible use of catering disposables, indeed a large percentage of our range is now biodegradable for this reason.

There is unfortunately a fundamental disconnect between the action being taken to remove these straws and the actual cause of the pollution. The action assumes that because the waste exists it’s a foregone conclusion that it will end up being dumped in the ocean. Surely a better solution to this would be to target the irresponsible dumping of our waste into the oceans? Sadly pumping waste into the sea at offshore locations is often chosen as the cheapest method of waste disposal, however the capability and infrastructure already exists to process this waste. If sorted properly, a huge percentage can be recycled or repurposed. Studies in America have actually shown that the most efficient way of dealing with waste that cannot be processed is combustion (https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jun/14/green-waste-distribution-methods-recycling-plastic-oil-epa) ; waste can be used as a fuel, incinerated and turned into usable electricity.

Instead, we seem to be focusing on selective reduction of specific types of waste (such as plastic straws) over reassessing how the country treats waste. Perhaps a more holistic approach is required for tackling pollution on our coastlines?

Plastic straws can be found on our site at: https://innsupplies.com/disposable/drinking-straws

Biodegradable Paper Cups

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Compostable / Biodegradable paper cups have seen an exponential increase in popularity since their introduction way back in 2012. More and more commercial customers are adopting these cups as an alternative to the more traditional plain white single wall paper cups. In the UK we use currently use 7 million paper cups every day and there’s currently a push in the media promoting switching to compostable products.

The actual cup itself is exactly the same, made from the same virgin grade paperboard as any other single wall cup. The difference comes from the lining used inside the cup. All disposable cups need some sort of inner lining to maintain the integrity of the cup, without any lining the cup would absorb water, leak and go rather soggy! The lining forms a waterproof barrier and stops the paper absorbing liquid.

A regular disposable cup has a PE lining (polyethylene), this is a plastic-based product which is not compostable. Biodegradable cups feature a different type of lining; this is PLA (Polylactic Acid), a resin made from corn starch. This lining is completely biodegradable and compostable. Our cups comply with EN13432, which is the European standard for compostability.

Biodegradable paper cups can be sent to any composting facility for processing. It’s increasingly common to find mandates to use biodegradable disposables in the workplace, in these scenarios, where companies have a composting scheme set up, our range of PLA biodegradable cups are the perfect solution.

We also stock a range of biodegradable plastic lids to fit this range of cups; these are the same size as the regular lids used for our 8oz or 10-20oz cups. You could even use these on our full range of cups if desired.

You can find our biodegradable paper cups and biodegradable lids at:https://innsupplies.com/biodegradable/biodegradable-paper-cups

Please feel free to get in touch with our sales team if you require advice on our range of biodegradable cups, we’d be more than happy to help.