Are Eco-Friendly Catering Disposables Worth It?

Table of Contents

• Are eco-friendly catering disposables worth it?
• What does switching to eco disposables cost per serve?
• When is a bagasse plate worth the extra cost?
• When is a paper plate the better buy?
• Is a plastic-free coffee cup worth about 3c more?
• Will compostable packaging actually get composted?
• How do you test the switch before buying in bulk?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: October 17, 2026. Prices checked on DiscountTillRolls.ie the same day.

Are eco-friendly catering disposables worth it?

Mostly, yes. On our own prices, a plastic-free coffee cup and lid costs about 3c more than a standard one, and a bagasse dinner plate costs about 4.6c more than a paper one. That's worth paying where the food is hot, wet or greasy. For cold, light food, paper does the job for less.

So the real question isn't "eco or not". It's which format, for which dish. Below is what each switch costs per serve, where it earns its money and where it doesn't. Every price is ex VAT, taken from DiscountTillRolls.ie on 17 October 2026.

What does switching to eco disposables cost per serve?

Here's the side-by-side on the four lines most cafés and caterers ask us about. Case price first, then the cost per unit.

Put a cup and lid together and a standard 8oz coffee comes to about 10.3c in packaging. The plastic-free version is about 13.4c. That's roughly 3c a coffee. Note the 7" plates aren't the same size: the bagasse one is 154mm across, the paper one 180mm.

There's no plastic plate column because single-use plastic plates have been banned across the EU since July 2021. For plates, the choice is paper or bagasse. More on why in our guide to alternatives to plastic takeaway packaging.

When is a bagasse plate worth the extra cost?

When the food is hot, saucy or oily. Bagasse is pressed sugarcane fibre. The manufacturer lists our 9" plate as grease and leak resistant, microwave safe and freezer safe, with no plastic lining or wax coating. Our paper plates are listed for ambient and lightly warm food only, not very hot or oily food.

So for curry, chips, pasta bakes or a carvery plate, the extra 4.6c is cheap insurance. One plate folding onto a customer costs you far more than the 4.6c you saved. For hot food going out in a box rather than on a plate, see bagasse vs kraft vs plastic takeaway containers.

When is a paper plate the better buy?

For anything cold or lightly warm: sandwiches, cake, canapés, buffet starters. Bagasse buys you nothing there, so don't pay for it. The 6" White Greenspirit Paper Plate works out at 2.4c each (€47.20 + VAT per 2000) for desserts and bar snacks.

Most menus need both. Run paper for cold and ambient, bagasse for hot mains. Our disposable plates guide covers sizes, and the full range is in Plates & Bowls.

Is a plastic-free coffee cup worth about 3c more?

If you tell customers your cups are plastic-free, yes, because a PE-lined cup isn't. Greenspirit's aqueous cups use a water-based lining with no PE and no PLA. The manufacturer lists them as home compostable within 24 weeks and re-pulpable in paper recycling.

Say you sell 300 coffees a week: at 3c a cup, that's about €9 + VAT a week. Whether that's worth it depends on your customers and your bins. If nobody asks and your cups go in general waste either way, the standard cup does the same job. The lining differences are explained in how to choose a plastic-free coffee cup, and every option is in Compostable Coffee Cups & Lids.

Will compostable packaging actually get composted?

Only if your bin and your waste contractor take it. Some compostable items, like PLA lids and our Greenspirit soup containers (EN13432 certified), need commercial composting and won't break down at home. Others, like the aqueous cups, are listed as home compostable.

What the labels actually mean is covered in compostable vs biodegradable vs recyclable.

How do you test the switch before buying in bulk?

Pick one menu section, order one case, and run it for two weeks. Count how many plates fail or cups leak, and ask your team what customers say. That tells you more than any label. If you're weighing up a new supplier at the same time, see how to vet a sustainable catering supplier.

DiscountTillRolls.ie has supplied Irish cafés, restaurants and caterers from Dublin 12 since 2007. Browse the Compostable Takeaway Containers range or email sales@discounttillrolls.ie for a price on bigger volumes.