Polish company sells wheat bran-based tableware

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In Poland, Biotrem is converting wheat bran and polylactic acid into 10 million pieces of tableware and cutlery annually in an effort to cut down on the amount of plastic waste in the environment.

If eating your garbage doesn’t sound enticing, Biotrem’s products also break down in the environment within 60 days without commercial composting.

The idea for Biotrem came from Jerzy Wysocki, who was looking for new uses for wheat bran, a byproduct of his family’s milling business.

In additional to European distributors, Biotrem recently signed a deal for Florida-based Veri Food to distribute its products in the United States.  “We’re selling everything Biotrem produces. It’s going well,” said Roberto Cavallini, marketing manager at Veri Food. “It’s like Kellogg’s [cereal] that you have for breakfast.” Fish also can safely eat the material, he adds.

Biotrem is also looking to break out into products made from corn bran, cassava byproducts, and seaweed. Price remains a barrier for some, however. A 10-pack of plates costs around $5.