Disposable cutlery is an essential product for a wide variety of catering and hospitality businesses. It is an economical option to ensure your customers have a safe and hygienic way to enjoy their meal, and can be disposed of at the end of the meal for convenience and time saving.
With a wide variety of materials and special applications to consider, choosing the right types of disposable cutlery for your establishment will increase customer satisfaction and profitability.
Our wide selection of disposable cutlery and utensils offers solutions for every application. After all, on a table, in addition to centrepieces, plates and tablecloths, cutlery is an essential part of the experience.
do you want to differentiate your restaurant or catering service? Take the time to choose your cutlery.
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Types of disposable cutlery materials
If what you are looking for is cutlery with an elegant and different design, quality, but above all, disposable, at Monouso we have a wide catalogue of plastic cutlery. This material is resistant, and its unique use is vital to improve assembly times, collection and hygiene, making it an indispensable product in the kitchenware of the hotel and catering industry.
When choosing the right type of disposable cutlery for your business, there are many materials available to consider.
The traditional plastic ones have been joined by new biodegradable materials. These have different aesthetics and heat resistance, so you should get to know them all in order to select those that suit your establishment.
Whether it is because of the type of food you serve, your ecological policy or the reusability you need, each material has different properties and advantages.
Top 4 most popular disposable cutlery materials
There are four popular types of materials among the most commonly used in disposable and reusable cutlery:
- Plastic: the most traditional disposable material. Made from polypropylene or polystyrene, they have a high quality and rigidity.
- PLA corn starch: updated version of the classics made from renewable sources: from roots to starch or bagasse.
- Bamboo: a strong and durable material that does not involve any chemicals or dyes in its manufacture.
- Wood: one of the most sustainable products as it is sourced directly from trees. No chemicals or dyes are added and it is able to withstand high temperatures.
| Material | High temperature use | Colours | Optionally sheathed | Dishwasher | Biodegradable | Recycling |
| PLA corn starch | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Compostables | ✔️ |
| Bamboo | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Wood | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Plastic | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | The reusable range | ❌ | ✔️ |
Types of disposable plastic cutlery
Plastic cutlery offers many options: from the typical white forks, knives and spoons to fluorine-coloured, metallic silver or gold-plated cutlery.
- Premium plastic cutlery.
- Economy plastic cutlery.
- Coloured plastic cutlery.
- Luxury plastic cutlery.
- Plastic serving cutlery.
- Unbreakable plastic cutlery.
- Metallic plastic cutlery.
- Sheathed plastic cutlery.
a variety to match your celebrations!
What plastic cutlery is made of
Plastic cutlery is made of polystyrene. This material is a synthetic resin obtained, like most thermoplastic polymers, from the polymerisation of the monomer styrene.
Its main characteristics are:
- Stronger appearance
- Stiffness
- Lightness
- Water resistant
- Temperature insulating
- Transparent or opaque
- Different colours and shapes
How to choose the best ecological cutlery
Most cutlery options are labelled as environmentally friendly, but what does that really mean?
Some are recyclable. Some are biodegradable and compostable. And some are from renewable sources. It's important to know the differences so you can choose the right ones for your business.
Monouso's disposable biodegradable cutlery is a very fashionable product and, in addition, it has an exotic design that adds elegance to the table. These are the different types of biodegradable cutlery:
Wooden cutlery
In case you are looking for utensils for restaurants, caterings, hotels or even take away, at Monouso we have biodegradable wooden cutlery. Since it is a disposable item, it is very practical and hygienic, and saves time and money in the cleaning and maintenance of an event.
PLA ecological cutlery
If you are very used to plastic cutlery, the disposable utensils that most closely resemble it are PLA biodegradable cutlery.
what is PLA? It is a biodegradable polymer derived from corn starch that has a higher resistance to high temperatures.
Plus, if you're worried about allergies, these utensils comply with European regulations, making them safe for all consumers.
Monouso's PLA biodegradable eco-friendly cutlery is high quality and comes in a variety of colours and formats. Whether individually or in sets, this cutlery is an economical and environmentally friendly option.
Bamboo cutlery
Whether you are looking for easy-to-carry utensils or a stylish and different alternative for your customers, bamboo cutlery is ideal for catering, grab & go, picnics, parties or events.
Care of bamboo cutlery:
- Hand wash gently.
- Do not soak.
- Do not use in oven or microwave.
Eco glossary for choosing cutlery
If you want to use an eco-friendly product, check the following glossary:
Biodegradable. A product is considered biodegradable if it can be broken down naturally by the action of nature over a period of time. This type of product is usually made from plant resources.
Compostable. Items are considered compostable when they can be broken down by human action over a period of time.
Recyclable. This means that the product can be reused and turned into something new and different after being discarded.
Renewable. A product is renewable if it comes from a resource capable of regenerating itself. Therefore, the production of renewable materials will not deplete these resources from which they come.
In addition, it should be noted that the same product can be biodegradable, compostable, recyclable and renewable, or some other combination.
Types of disposable cutlery according to their use
In addition to cutlery sets with spoons, forks and knives for catering, food trucks or events, there are other types of disposable cutlery specific to certain needs in the hospitality industry.
Individually wrapped cutlery, options for Asian food, serving utensils... depending on the needs of your business, you may want to buy one type of disposable cutlery or another.
Let's take a look at the main needs in types of disposable cutlery for the catering industry:
Individually wrapped take away cutlery
For restaurants with a take-away business, sheathed cutlery is the ideal choice. These individually wrapped disposable cutlery:
- Ensure perfect organisation of cutlery
- Promote hygiene and safety
- Keeps utensils clean during storage
Biodegradable cutlery for self service
If you have a buffet offer, it can be a great help to have disposable utensils always ready to be renewed between services. From serving tongs to ladles.
Also, if you have chosen biodegradable cutlery, to project a uniform image to your customers, it makes sense that serving utensils should follow suit.
Organic serving cutlery is the ideal accessory when it comes to completing the service of the most demanding tables, for waiters or for self-service restaurants where diners can comfortably serve any type of food, without neglecting the environment.
- Allows easy substitution between services
- Economical price
- Catering, buffets and banquets
Tasting and appetizer miniatures
- how original, how appetising, how good it looks!
Having mini cutlery to serve appetizers and tastings will surely earn you this kind of comments. And many more. Because we all know that first you eat with your eyes.
Therefore, the presentation must always be impeccable and with mini cutlery made of wood, bamboo or plastic, you can achieve this in a simple but spectacular way.
- Offer samples easily
- Appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, tastings
- Light portions for catering or banquets (cocktail)
Ice cream scoops for ice cream parlours
If you have set up an ice cream parlour, the easiest and most hygienic thing to do is to offer your customers disposable ice cream scoops.
In plastic you can find them in different and bright colours, while the wooden options are a great trend as they do not add flavour to the ice cream and have a special touch.
- Indispensable for serving your take-away orders
- Hygienic
- Decorative
Skewers for snacks
The perfect allies for take-away shops, street stalls, fairs, bars and restaurants are the biodegradable, plastic snack skewers and cutlery. With them you can serve snacks, tapas, chips and even modern starters.
In various sizes, models, colours and materials, these disposable mini skewers and cutlery are a safe and convenient way to enjoy what your menu has to offer.
In our shop you can find skewers with a multitude of decorations to make a difference at a celebration:
- Spade-shaped
- Golf type
- Finished with tennis, football or rugby balls
- Decorated with coloured beads
- Finished with elegant pearls, bows, hearts, seahorses or wooden flowers
- Finished with little flags of countries or autonomous communities (Andalusia, Madrid, Basque Country...)
- With slate to write on
They are also ideal for serving brunch or when you have to organise a social event for which you need trays of snacks: fruit, pastries, sweet or savoury.
Monouso's biodegradable snack cutlery brings you great elegance thanks to an endless number of shapes, materials and finishes so that you can find the one that best suits your needs.
Now that you know the types of disposable cutlery, it's time to choose the one that best suits your business. Review the properties and compare their designs. Pay real attention to this element of the table that sometimes goes unnoticed but is very important for the experience of the consumer, or your guests.
We hope that this guide to disposable cutlery has helped you to choose the cutlery that will form part of your tableware, whether in your catering business or at home. If you need more information about any of our options, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service.
If you have any questions about our collection of plastic cutlery and biodegradable cutlery, please contact our customer service.
