Tell me more about these recycled plastic outdoor dinner plates

Our recycled outdoor dinner plates from the Al Fresco Set are perfect to use for garden tableware, patio dinnerware, children’s dinnerware, caravan crockery (and if you are really fancy, out on a boat whilst you are sailing), or as non-breakable party plates. We have used them as BBQ tableware a few times and they’ve been brilliant. High quality, heavy-duty and designed to last, this reusable outdoor plate set is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic garden plates, melamine outdoor plates and disposable plastic & paper plates. These really are deluxe plastic plates!

Unlike other outdoor dinnerware, these plastic dinner plates are made from 100% food-grade recycled plastic. That means they are made of milk bottles, yoghurt pots, and plastic food trays that have been recycled and reformed into heavy-duty plastic dinnerware!

Most large plastic plates and other outdoor crockery are made from virgin plastic or are disposable dinner plates. Either that or they are melamine plates or a bamboo dinner set – again, all made from virgin materials. These ones utilise and repurpose recycled plastics to create reusable, colourful plastic plates that are practical, sustainable, long-lasting, and therefore more environmentally friendly (and in our opinion look better than even high-quality disposable plates!). This is also 100% recyclable tableware so once they do come to the end of their long life (because we aren’t going to lie to you, it will eventually happen after a few hundred uses), you can put them into your recycling bin as you would your other household plastic. They really are the best reusable plastic plates in our eyes because they are zero waste.

They are also BPA free so you can guarantee they are safe to use over and over as well as dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Due to their versatility, they are great to use as kids' tableware, party plates, microwavable plastic plates and outdoor dining plates – basically, any occasion where you need a premium plastic plate that can take a battering but is easy to cook with and easy to clean.

Have you got matching items to make dinnerware sets?

Yes, we do! We have created the range so that you can mix and match between colours and cutlery types. In addition to these recycled plastic dinner plates, within our Al Fresco Set, we also have small recyclable plastic bowls, cups and cutlery to make complete plastic garden crockery sets. Like these plastic patio plates, all the items in our Al Fresco Set are high quality, heavy-duty, reusable, designed to last, made from recycled plastic and are environmentally friendly (packaging included). That’s why all of the items in this range are great replacements and eco-friendly alternatives to regular outdoor melamine dinnerware sets, melamine garden tableware or regular plastic party dinnerware sets.

Can I use these recycled dinner plastic plates and matching items as garden tableware?

You absolutely can use these large plastic plates as plastic garden crockery during the summer months. As we mentioned above, these plates and the items in our Al Fresco Set of recycled plastic crockery are designed for outdoor use, or situations where you’d like a more heavy-duty style of plastic plates. That means you can use them as outdoor dinnerware, caravan crockery, patio plates, a BBQ tableware set, as an alternative to disposable party plates and even children’s tableware.

As these really are quite sturdy and durable, if you are planning to chuck these in a bag to use as camping plates or picnic plates, then we’d recommend having a look at our Adventure Set. Still just as eco-friendly and made from 100% recycled plastic, the plastic tableware in this set is slightly less durable but much more lightweight. That means they are perfect for transporting because they won’t weigh you down on an outdoor adventure, will take up minimal space but will still be sturdy enough to last! Our Adventure Set has large dinner plates, small plates and cups.

Why have you created recycled plastic plates and crockery?

Chimney Sheep HQ is based just on the edge of the Lake District. Although the weather isn’t often kind to us, when it is sunny we love to ensure we can get out in our gardens to enjoy the UV rays and make sure we get our hit of vitamin D! When it has been sunny in the past, and we’ve enjoyed some al fresco dining, we have come to realise that there aren’t any recycled plastic options to use as outdoor tableware (and no one likes to use their ‘posh’ ceramic stuff for fear smashing them).

Instead, most outdoor garden tableware options are disposable tableware (you know, the clear plastic plate sort of options that you chuck after one use?), melamine outdoor dinnerware (which is an artificial compound made under intense heat and is not recyclable nor particularly eco-friendly), or plastic plates and plastic dinner sets made from virgin plastics (and we all know that isn’t great for the environment). Frustrating, particularly with all the single-use plastic from disposable plates in circulation. So, we thought, ‘ah-ha!, let’s fix that! Let’s make outdoor dining tableware that is reusable and made from 100% recycled plastic'.

What seemed like a simple solution to the problem, turned out not to be so simple to create! To create these, we needed recycled food-grade plastic. A lot of food packaging gets recycled, so we thought that should be easy enough to source. Right? Wrong! Turns out, it is very difficult to get which seems non-sensical considering how much food-grade plastic we all recycle nowadays. The issue is, that most food-grade plastic doesn’t get separated out. Anyway, long story short, after researching and contacting lots of suppliers we EVENTUALLY got our hands-on recycled food-grade plastic and here we are today, with our fantastic reusable outdoor dinnerware!

Why is it important to use recycled plastic?

As we are probably all aware, plastics take an awful lot of energy to create, aren’t easy to dispose of and are generally not so great for the environment. Plastic isn’t all bad though. It is a useful material in lots of contexts – it’s hardy, long-lasting and lightweight. That’s what makes it so great for our premium plastic heavyweight plates. The issue comes when we continue to use virgin, disposable plastics.

Most of us now dutifully recycle most of our plastic waste. If we continue to recycle but then also continue to use virgin plastics, what is the point of recycling in the first place? Instead, it is important that we ‘close the loop’ and start using recycled plastics to make new things. As we said, plastic is a great material to use in lots of circumstances so if we have lots of plastic being recycled, then let’s use that stuff (and recycle and reuse again and again and again etc) for the items that plastic is great for, instead of continuing to create new virgin plastics. Common sense if you ask us!

We now have lots of everyday household items made of recycled materials. They work just as well but are a more sustainable alternative.

Sustainable products made of recycled materials

Coffee Sack Cushion

Eco Chic Holdall

Recycled Fibre Beach Towel

Coffee Sack Hessian Door Draught Excluder

Addis Recycled Plastic Waste Paper Bin

Addis Recycled Plastic Washing Up Bowl Rectangle

Addis Recycled Plastic Mop Pail & Wringer

Addis Recycled Plastic Cutlery Drainer

Addis Recycled Plastic Washing Up Bowl Round

Addis Recycled Plastic Crockery Drainer

Al Fresco Dinner Plates Pack of 4

Addis Recycled Plastic Drawer Organiser