The United States (US) uses landfills to dispose paper cups at a rate of 40 percent. Landfill rates on plastic disposable dinnerware are even higher at around 80 percent. This study examines consumer preferences for single-use disposable dinnerware with the attributes: uses no trees; contains no plastic; made from agricultural crop byproduct cellulose; cellulose from dedicated crops, and/or organically sourced cellulose; certified biobased; and compostable or recyclable. A Multiple Indicator Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model is used to estimate the effects of demographics, expenditures, and consumer perceptions of disposable dinnerware made with ‘eco-friendly’ materials or processes. The attributes ‘no plastic’ and ‘recyclable’ appealed to consumers over the widest range of preferences for eco-friendly attributes in disposable dinnerware. However, ‘no trees’ and ‘certified biobased’ appeared to appeal to a narrower segment with the strongest preferences for eco-friendly attributes. Demographic characteristics including gender, residential location, household income, household composition, and environmental attitudes also correlated with preferences for single use products made with the attributes examined.

美国（美国）使用垃圾填埋场处理纸杯的比例为40％。塑料一次性餐具的填埋率甚至更高，约为80％。这项研究调查了消费者对一次性餐具的偏好，这些餐具具有以下属性：不使用树木；不含塑料；由农作物副产品纤维素制成；来自专用作物的纤维素和/或有机纤维素；经认证的生物基；可堆肥或可回收利用。多指标多因（MIMIC）模型用于估计人口统计，支出和消费者对使用“生态友好”材料或工艺制成的一次性餐具的看法的影响。“无塑料”和“可回收”的特性吸引了消费者对一次性餐具中环保特性的最广泛的偏好。然而，“无树”和“经过认证的生物基”似乎更吸引了狭窄人群，对生态友好特性的偏好最为强烈。包括性别，居住地点，家庭收入，家庭组成和环境态度在内的人口统计学特征也与对具有上述特征的一次性产品的偏好相关。