Recycled paper plates or wash dishes?

Question

which option is more environmentally conscious? thoughts or ideas?

Answer 1

Wash dishes.......not only does this save trees that are used for the paper plates and prevent paper plates from piling up in our land fills but you can reuse your dish water when you are done washing dishes. Just put the dish water in a spray bottle and spray it on your potted plants this keeps insects from eating your plants and won't harm the plant and won't end up in the ground water.

Answer 2

washing dishes. in general, rule of thumb is that things that are re-usable tend to exert less pressure on the environment than disposable things.

paper plates, even if made of recycled fibre, are one-use only, and then they have to be thrown away. which means that the feedstock material, water, electricity, transportation involved in making new paper plates will be generated over and over again - always remember to bear in mind the energy and resources required to manufacture and transport new things! whereas washing dishes only generates detergent water, which can be further mitigated by selecting a detergent that are gentler to the environment - separate topic of its own.

recycled paper plates are a good choice if for some reason you need paper plates (like large company picnics when the boss has already decided on these things, leaving you in environmental damage control). they are better because at least they're made of recycled fibre, and they're certainly better than styrofoam plates.

Answer 3

Wash dishes as soon as you dirty them

Answer 4

Washing dishes by hand...not dishwasher.  Dishwashers use up electricity.  Paper plates, recycled or not, just add more garbage.

Answer 5

washing dishes it will also save u a couple of dollars on going out to buy the paper plates and who's to say that paper plates will last that long foam plates might stand up longer but once the heat hits it its all over for them

Answer 6

Get dog to l**k the dishes,saves water too :)lol

Answer 7

I'd say washing dishes by hand is the best option.  

While that does require water, the manufacture of paper plates also requires the input of water.  If dishes are used enough, the energy, materials, and water involved in their manufacture will probably be less than that of the equivalent quantity of paper plates needed.

Answer 8

wash the dishes, uses no new materials. when they recicle paper, they add new paper pulp, cutting down trees, so wash those dishes!

Answer 9

According to the Energy Smart website, washing dishes in a dishwasher is the best way to go.  Paper plates use an incredible amount of water to manufacture, plus the gasoline used to ship them.

Washing dishes by hand could use more water than the dishwasher due to the rinsing.   10 gallons could be used pretty quickly, just filling the sink and then rinsing.

I was doing work on my sink and had to use a bucket for the drain hose for the dishwasher.  It would use one Kittylitter bucket of water for the prewash and another for the rinse.  This was all probably less than 10 gallons.  The electricity used is negligable.  

Wash dishes with a safe soap and everything will work out for the best.

Answer 10

washing dishes is better, however , there are times ; it is more advantages to use the paper plates, we all do at times  Evie

Answer 11

paper plates are great and you will have more time for leisure time

Answer 12

well the worst is washing dishes....the soap and the water and the draining of the soapy water into fresh water killing our fresh water fish and other creatures...

Answer 13

wash dishes

Answer 14

Washing dishes because they will not accumulate in the land fill

To get a good paper plate that  will hold your food you have to spend more.  Okay for quick snacks etc.

Answer 15

Washing dishes is not only more cost conscious but also does not fill  up the land-fill, Unless you recycle your paper products.  That would be my suggestion.  When you have an extra large crowd to feed, go for the paper, then recycle them.

Answer 16

I don't think that paper plates can be recycled, but if they can, that's got to be the way to go.They could be made bio degradable, and that would save on space in the land fill. Washing dishes wastes water, and pollutes water. Plus no one seems to like doing them.