Bagasse – Sugar Cane Waste

Bagasse is one of the most common by-products in the world. Once juice has been extracted from sugarcane and related plants, bagasse is the dry, pulpy residue that’s left behind from the crushed stalks. One of the main uses of bagasse is as a fuel, with factories that produce it as a by-product passing it on as an eco-friendly fuel. It’s considered to be a carbon neutral fuel, thanks to the fact that the carbon it absorbed during growth as a plant is simply being released back into the atmosphere when burned.

An exciting use for bagasse is as a substitute for materials such as paper, board and wood. For instance, bagasse requires minimal amounts of processing to be transformed into a high-strength paper that is both biodegradable and compostable. Similarly, it can be moulded into tableware that is more rigid than paper options and is far more economically and environmentally viable.

Takeaway and one-use items remain an important element of many restaurant and food businesses. Bagasse is taking hold of the industry as an excellent alternative to traditional takeaway plates, napkins and bowls. It grows quickly and so is a more sustainable source than wood. Plus, it takes under 4 months for it to decompose within a home composter. Bagasse is not only a credible alternative to one-use plastics, it’s also a smart one.

Sorcit were commissioned by a premium restaurant home delivery company to develop tableware from bagasse. Their requirements included excellent insulating properties, and so the final product contained a double skin welded together. This was also coated to avoid staining the tableware and to stop liquids being absorbed into the material. The delivery of this tableware to the client was not only a great step forward for their eco-friendly credentials, but it also represents part of a seismic shift taking place across the industry to move away from items that are either unable to decompose or take far too long.