compostable meal tray india
Bagasse meal trays — 2 to 9 compartments, institutional grade.
From a 2-compartment standard tray to the 9-compartment thali. Bio range for dry meals, B2B heavy-duty for gravy mains, lid-compatible for takeaway.
- 100% sugarcane bagasse
- Compostable
- Microwave-safe
- Oil & water resistant
- Made in India
Meal Trays is the institutional format — sectioned, deep, often lidded trays for airline meals, hospital meal services, school programmes, cloud-kitchen combo boxes, and Indian wedding-catering thali service. The headline SKU is the 9-compartment round meal tray at 42 g — the canonical compostable thali plate, with separate bays for sabzi, dal, rice, roti, raita, sweet, and pickle. It's the hero for our /collections/thali/ cultural collection.
For cloud kitchens, the 5-compartment B2B heavy-duty tray (38 g, 500 pcs/carton) is the reorder workhorse — paired with a matching bagasse lid from the Lids category, it handles biryani + raita + salad + dessert + pickle in one box without sauce-mixing. The 5-compartment School tray (23 g, lighter) is the institutional-feeding optimisation: lower per-unit cost, big-batch volume.
Bio range vs B2B heavy-duty: the Bio range is a lighter-gauge fibre (cheaper, suited for dry-side meals). The B2B heavy-duty is 30–40% thicker, rated for gravy and sauce-heavy mains. Choose by the dominant food type.
Made by manufacturing partners certified for FDA food-contact compliance, BPI, EN 13432 and ISO 22000; PFAS-free per manufacturer test reports. HSN 4823 at 18% GST.
Bagasse meal tray vs disposable plastic vs PE-coated paper
| Dimension | Disposable plastic | PE-coated paper | Bagasse (PulpyWare) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Petroleum-derived virgin polymer | Virgin paper + polyethylene plastic liner | Sugarcane juice residue — agri-waste, no virgin pulp |
| Compostability | Never composts — 450+ years to break down | Paper rots, PE liner persists as microplastic | ~90 days in commercial composting; longer at home |
| PFAS / forever-chemicals | None added (uses plastic itself) | Many brands use PFAS for oil/grease repellency | PFAS-free per our manufacturers' test reports |
| Microwave safety | Most plastic deforms above 80 °C | PE liner can leach plasticisers when heated | Tested at 700–1000 W for 3 minutes — fibre stays inert |
| Oil & sauce hold | Excellent (it IS plastic) | Excellent — but at the cost of the lining | Excellent for 1 hour — natural fibre absorbs no oil |
| End-of-life | Landfill or ocean — non-degradable | Not recyclable (lined paper isn't accepted in most MRFs) | Backyard compost, municipal organics, or biogas |
Sources cited on our sustainability methodology page.
Shop meal trays
Tap any product for pack sizes, GSM, dimensions and live stock.
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 4 Compartments (Bio Range)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 2 Compartments
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 3 Compartments (Heavy Duty)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 4 Compartments (B2B Heavy Duty)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 7 Compartments
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 6 Compartments (Bio)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 5 Compartments (Bio Range)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 8 Compartments (B2B Heavy Duty)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 5 Compartments (School Program)
Meal Trays
Meal Tray, 5 Compartments (B2B Heavy Duty)
Meal Trays
9-Compartment Round Thali
Who's buying meal trays from PulpyWare?
Cloud kitchens
5-compartment B2B heavy-duty (38 g, 500/carton) is the reorder workhorse — biryani + raita + salad + dessert + pickle in one leakproof box with a matching bagasse lid. Reorder cadence typically every 2-3 weeks at 200-orders/day scale.
Wedding & event catering
9-compartment round meal tray (42 g) is the canonical compostable thali — sabzi, dal, rice, roti, raita, sweet, pickle, two flexible bays. Single-event orders of 3,000-5,000 trays ship next-day from confirmation.
Institutional feeding
School and hospital meal programmes pick the 5-compartment School tray (23 g) for cost efficiency. Lower per-unit cost than B2B heavy-duty, sufficient for the dry-side meal mix typical of institutional feeding.
Buying by the carton? Apply for HORECA pricing →
Meal tray specifications
Compartment range
- 2-compartment standard tray
- 3-compartment B2B with matching lid
- 4-compartment standard meal tray
- 5-compartment School tray (lighter gauge)
- 5-compartment B2B heavy-duty (gravy-rated)
- 6, 7, 8-compartment airline / institutional
- 9-compartment round — Indian thali standard
Performance
- Microwave-safe to 3 min at 700–1000 W (lid off)
- Gravy hold (B2B range): 1 hour standing-oil
- Stackable 500/carton — flat-pack dispatch
- All major sizes lid-compatible (see PDP cross-sell)
- Bio range: 30% cheaper, dry-meal optimised
- B2B heavy-duty: 30-40% thicker, gravy-rated
Material & manufacturing
- 100% sugarcane bagasse pulp — no wax, no plastic lining; PFAS-free per manufacturer test reports
- Moulded under high heat + pressure — no plastic-coated extruder
- Naturally chlorine-free — no bleaching needed for cream colour
- Made in India — manufactured under GMP-grade processes
- HSN 4823 · GST 18% (tax-inclusive pricing)
- Air-courier eligible — 2–10 day pan-India delivery
Frequently asked questions
What's the canonical Indian thali format?
The 9-compartment round meal tray (`bagasse-thali-9-compartment-round`) — 42 g, 500 pcs/carton — is the cultural thali standard. Compartments are sized for sabzi, dal, rice, roti, raita, sweet, pickle and two flexible bays. Cultural-tag hero for the /collections/thali/ collection.
Bio range vs B2B heavy-duty — how do I choose?
Bio range is a lighter fibre gauge — cheaper per unit, suited for dry-side meals (rice, roti, sabzi, dry curries). B2B heavy-duty is 30–40% thicker, rated for gravy-heavy mains like dal makhani or paneer butter masala. If your menu is sauce-heavy, pay the B2B premium.
Do meal trays come with matching lids?
Yes — the Lids & Accessories category stocks bagasse lids for 3-comp B2B, 4-comp, 5-comp Bio, 5-comp B2B, and 8-comp meal trays. Each meal-tray PDP shows compatible lids via the compatible_lids cross-sell.
Can I microwave a 5-compartment meal tray with food and a lid on?
Microwave the tray with food in — but remove the lid first. The fibre handles 3 minutes at 700–1000 W. The lid is meant for transport, not reheating.
How are meal trays priced for HORECA reorders?
Verified HORECA buyers see ~20% off D2C list, with NET-15 invoice terms. For a 200-orders/day cloud kitchen ordering 6,000 meal trays a month, the price gap is meaningful. Apply at /wholesale/ — 24-hour admin review.
Other questions? See our general FAQ or contact our team.
Cloud kitchens · Caterers · Cafés · Restaurants
Bulk-ordering for a kitchen or event?
HORECA-verified accounts get ~20% off D2C list, NET-15 invoice terms and free shipping on every order.
Cross-shop: compartment plates · containers with lids · cloud kitchen · wedding catering