Food service products that bio-degrade in months

September 4, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- You don't have to change your life to go green. You can always make small adjustments like switching from plastic to paper -- or corn.

You might be protecting the planet just by having your next meal -- and not even know it.

The Green City Market on the city's North Side bustles with shoppers hunting for good deals on fresh produce grown by local farmers. One staples is the crepe stand.

"The crepe stand is actually one of the founding programs at Green City Market, which is open every Wednesday and Saturday. We manage and operate the crepe stand and it highlights the local product that's available here at the market on any given day," said Lyle Allen, executive director, Green City Market.

On this day, they're using honey from Ellis Farms, blueberries from Mick Klug's and batter from Bennison's Bakery.

But as customers chow down on the locally-sourced grub, most don't think about the bio-degradable and compostable plates and forks they're using to do so. Those items come from a local company, too -- Onyx Distribution And Services. They're made from corn.

Owner Freeda Muldoon decided to go green four years ago. Her company is a leading supplier of environmentally-friendly cleaning products and bio-degradable food service items. That means when you throw them away, they'll disintegrate within four months instead of staying forever in a landfill. They are among the greenest items you might not notice you're using.

"We offer products that are made from sugar cane. They are made from the byproducts of the sugar cane and they are reformed and made to form plates and cups and things like that. We have cutlery that's made from starches, so it's rice, corn, potato starches. There are other products that are made from bamboo," said Muldoon.

Related links:

greencitymarket.org

onyxdistribution.com

Get more Green »

green, hosea sanders

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•