Today’s Solutions: December 19, 2025

Isn’t it ridiculous that disposable plastic plates are still being used even though they can take up to 500 years to break down? An innovative Polish company by the name of Biotrem thinks so, which is why they’ve created biodegradable tableware made from compressed wheat bran, a by-product of the cereal milling process.

By mixing the bran with water, then heating and pressurizing it, the company is able to turn wheat bran into a sturdy material. Once the material has been used, it can be tossed in the compost where it will take up to a month to biodegrade.

Biotrem can make up to 10,000 biodegradable plates and bowls from a ton of waste wheat bran that otherwise would be thrown away, and up to 15 million biodegradable plates per year. As Biotrem’s products hit the market, hopefully, they will decrease the number of plastic plates winding up in the landfill.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

New method uses sound waves to map soil health, stop famine, and restore farm...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Across the world, soil scientists are trading in their shovels for something unexpected: seismic sensors. In a breakthrough ...

Read More

This simple 15-minute mindset exercise can ease anxiety, science shows

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A growing body of research is revealing how a short, simple activity that is done in just 15 ...

Read More

3 habits of the happiest people

Think of the happiest people you know. Do you find yourself often wondering what they are doing to maintain a general level of joy? ...

Read More

Changemakers of the week: GRuB and SparkNJ

Every day on the Optimist Daily, we report on solutions from around the world. Though we love solutions big and small, the ones that ...

Read More