Susty Party: Responsibly Made Party Supplies

There are times when products are such a great idea for the earth that I just want to shout it from the rooftops. That is certainly the case with the products from Susty Party – a Brooklyn, NY sustainable party supply company. I met Susty Party at the NYC Green Festival in April. Their colorful booth full of cups, plates, bowls, straws (that remind me of an old time soda shop) and other party supplies drew me in and I was excited to find out more about what made their supplies sustainable.

Now I bet you couldn’t guess what it is that their colorful compostable plates are made from. The answer isn’t paper – surprisingly their plates and bowls are made from rapidly growing plants: tapioca starch and grass fiber. Yup tapioca, like the great dessert. Grass is pretty cool too!

These plates are super durable and even heat resistant, which is something not all paper plates can accomplish. They are non-toxic and contain no plastics or harmful chemicals. It’s unsure if the standard paper plate can boast that accomplishment. You can use them in the oven, microwave and freezer. Not everyone may know that most paper is dyed white by bleach and other harmful chemicals. Susty Party is different. They dye their supplies naturally with mineral pigments and are then baked. The best part is that they are created to decompose in your home compost pile in about 40 days or less. I will be checking on this in my own compost pile and hoping for great results.

Susty Party not only has colorful compostable plates but other types of plates such as bagasse (the fibrous matter left over from sugar cane) plates in standard tableware sizes (dessert, dinner, appetizer, compartment & big.) I was also excited to see that they also offer palmware, plates made from fallen palm leaves pressed by steam. I’ve already fallen in love with palm leaf plates from Verterra (see our review here.) In addition to palm leaf plates they also offer bamboo plates from Bambu, which are certified organic, as well as reusable recycled plastic plates and clamshell compartment containers, which most to-go food comes in. Gosh, Susty Party has so much to offer to make your party better for the earth.

In my sample kit I also received a package of FSC-Certified paper straws. I’m pretty certain I’ve never used a paper straw before, (usually plastic or reusable like Strawesome) and was very impressed by the quality and durability of the straws. I had the expectation that they would eventually disintegrate when being in liquid for a while (I left a straw in a cup of water for two days) but happily they stayed just as structured as the dry ones. I even found these compostable straws to be more durable than plastic straws since they didn’t crush or squish like plastic ones would if pinched. And to boot they are super cute and ready to compliment a root beer float at an old-fashioned drug store counter. They come in your choice of pink, red, blue or grey and all with white as the second color. These are a must for any party; they are super fun and great for the earth by being compostable, non-toxic and renewable.

The 10oz. paper cups in my kit are just as durable as I found the straws to be. They might be even more so since they are made with a polylatic acid (PLA) that is derived from corn and made from sustainably harvested SFI-Certified paper. Like their plates, these cups are non-toxic, elemental chlorine free and contain no plastics or harmful chemicals.

These cups are also made by fair labor by a non-profit in the USA. They are actually made via a partnership with Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Clovernook helps to create more jobs at their “green-collar job and community center in Ohio.” Great for Clovernook and Susty Party! Though the cups can be used for hot or cold beverages, they do not come with lids at the moment. But don’t you worry, if this cup doesn’t fit your need, Susty Party has a bunch of other types of cups. Including a variety of sizes of compostable PLA cups, bagassee compostable cups, compostable taster cups with lids, on-the-go reusable recycled plastic cups and even 2oz. Loliware edible cups.

Loliware cups I am most impressed with, they are made from a soft confection with a base of fruit pectin (gelatin) and sweetened with evaporated cane crystals, making them completely handmade, vegan and biodegradable. Though I haven’t personally tried Loliware cups, it sounds really exciting to drink out of and then eat afterward!

Now what’s a party without decorations? Yup, Susty Party offers that too. As well as cutlery, napkins, trash bags and to-go supplies. Outfit your eco-party with Susty Party and earth will thank you. As it may be expected, all of these items are higher priced than standard party supplies, but you are truly getting quality products while helping keep much of it out of landfills. Making the cost something that environmentally conscience people will appreciate. Check out their full catalog of items at www.sustyparty.com