Vegware, the pioneering Scottish eco-packaging start-up whose products are made from plant materials, yesterday launched the world’s first high-heat resistant compostable cutlery and said it was moving to bigger premises to cope with increased demand.

Joe Frankel, the Edinburgh-based entrepreneur who set up Vegware in 2006 to offer a sustainable alternative to the plastic disposables used by the catering sector, said the cutlery was part of a suite of new compostable offerings, comprising cutlery, a soup container and lid set, and the first ever compostable insulated coffee cup and lid.

Frankel, whose customer base includes some of the county’s largest caterers, said the entire product range was suitable for organic recycling, and that it had become the UK’s first-ever provider of compostable catering disposables and takeaway packaging.

A spokeswoman for the com-pany said: “The idea is to provide plastic without oils. Plastic is a wonderful product but it’s also disastrous environmentally.

“Other companies have produced compostable cutlery, but nothing that could stand up to high heat – for example, a spoon in soup would just melt.

“Vegware’s compostable products can handle temperatures above boiling point.”

Vegware products, which are manufactured at factories in England, China and Taiwan, are made from a substance called PLA, a corn-based bioplastic.

While biodegradable materials break down naturally over time, compostable means it is much quicker – in fewer than 180 days.

Frankel added: “It has taken years of R&D, but now our full range can be commercially composted together with food waste rather than go to landfill. And of course we’re delighted to be eco-market leaders.”

He said he expects Vegware’s business to get a major boost after April 1, next year, when landfill tax, which has been increasing by £8 each year, will rise again to £48 per tonne, bringing it in line with commercial composting – making the disposal of Vegware products economical and eco-friendly.