• BGCI: The global network
• Our work
• Our supporters and partners
• Join in
• Resource centre
  • Publications
    • Our newsletter
  • Events
    • BGCI Congresses
  • Latest news
  • News archives
  • Tools
    • Access and Benefit Sharing
    • IPEN
    • PlantSearch
    • GardenSearch
    • Fundraising links
    • Tech tools
  • Jobs
  • Botanic garden information
    • Definition
    • The history of botanic gardens
    • Botanical illustration
    • Living collections
    • Role of botanic gardens
    • Commercial activity
    • Seedbanks
    • Botanic gardens and conservation
    • Herbaria
    • Information management systems
    • Starting a botanic garden
    • Promoting a botanic garden
• Education centre
• Climate change information centre

Print this Page

Oman Botanic Garden, with the help of its construction and project teams, has taken a step forward in its desire to protect and cherish the plants and environment of Oman.  Carillion Alawi, responsible for building the nursery facility at the garden over the last few months, have found a more environmentally way of feeding their team of 200 construction workers.  Instead of plastic containers, they are now using plants as plates.  The new plates, bowls and containers are made from leaves that fall naturally from the Areca tree in India and shipped to Oman.  Once used, they can be easily composted and used to provide mulch for the garden.

Before...	...and after!

Craig Tucker from the garden's project management team, commented "The Areca leaf plates are far more environmentally friendly than plastic.  They use fewer resources to make, they are light, so easy to transport and they can be composted after use – so there is no litter, the leaves biodegrade naturally within a few days".  

Dareen Mehdi, environmental education specialist at Oman Botanic Garden also welcomes the change; "There are so many things every person can do to reduce their impact on the environment.  If we all thought about how we could reduce our footprint on our country's resources, we could make a real difference."

The plants as plates initiative joins Oman Botanic Gardens' recent launch of a plastics recycling container at the site as part of their sustainability strategy.  As well as reducing the use of and recycling plastics, OBG also recycle paper, card, wood, steel and aluminium – making them one of the most environmentally-friendly developments in Oman.

Back to Archive