I don't really know. We use paper plates more than my parents. My parents never use paper plates, well very rarely. My wife's family uses them all the time. *throws them under the bus*

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not based on my experiences, but then, i live in california.

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Maybe not "the norm," but certainly not uncommon. I suspect a great many families with small children use them because they don't break. I personally use them to cover food while cooking in the microwave (and reuse them, whenever possible) - they keep food from splattering and don't add freaky chemicals to whatever you're cooking.

I don't know anybody that regularly uses paper plates. I only use them when were giving the kids a themed birthday party, we'll buy the plates to match the decorations.

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Americans use paper plates? why should i care?

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Considering that paper plate are made from trees grown on tree farms these days which actually create "forests" where there were none how does this damage the environment? Aren't more forests, even single species, better than fewer forests?

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I believe the damage to the environment with regard to paper plates, comes from the amount of energy used and pollution created when the trees are cut, then shipped to a factory to be milled, then shipped to other factories where they are pulped and bleached and formed into plates, which are then shipped again to grocery stores around the country. Once the plates go in the trash, they're shipped again, to a land fill. All of this uses up a great deal of energy/chemicals and creates air, water, and land pollution.

I was being a bit sarcastic about the OP's mention of the potteries in America as a reason why we Americans use paper plates so much. Can I serve you dinner some time?

I believe you are dealing with very outdated information. Very little energy is used in creating these forests or harvesting them. The trees are used exclusively for paper products and go directly to modern pulp mills which are very energy efficient. The paper industry has cleaned up it's prior polluting practices because of environmental laws. And paper in land fills does not create pollution and newer land fills are being used for methane production.

And never forget that dishwashing detergent production is not environmentally friendly and that often comes in non-biodegradable plastic containers or paper containers which still require the same trees being used and are tranported by the same trucks that haul paper plates. Most detergents are not biodegradeable and even biodegradeable detergents harm the environment albeit not as much and non-biodegradeable detergents.

One myth is that recycling paper is a good thing. Generally speaking more energy and costs are involved in recycling paper than producing it from scratch from tree farms dedictated to that purpose.

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —
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I like using paper plates as frisbees. I use 5 or 6 at a time and pop them in the air. Then, I get out the old moose gun and try to shoot them all down. They work real cool as decoys also.

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