Disposable cardboard BBQ is eco-friendly and eliminates trash

A new cardboard disposable BBQ is both environmentally friendly and a design improvement on the aluminium versions.

From disposable fingertips for eating greasy food to disposable bed linen for students – we are living in a disposable society, but disposable items are not always good for the environment, especially if it creates extra trash. Now, however, Danish company CasusGrill has found a way to make disposable BBQing greener and more sustainable. The founders of CasusGrill were inspired after a camping trip in the French Alps, where they saw aluminium trays from single-use grills scattered around fields and mountains. In response, they devised a disposable grill to replace the aluminium trays with cardboard, bamboo, bamboo charcoal briquettes and lightweight Perlite lava stones for heating.

The CasusGrill is ready to cook within five minutes of lighting, and retains its heat for around 60 minutes. Because it is made of cardboard, the outside of the grill does not get hot, and can even be picked up and moved with bare hands after lighting. The grill’s green credentials do not stop with its lack of aluminium. The bamboo briquettes allow cooking with 50 percent less charcoal than a standard disposable grill, which means fewer carbon dioxide emissions. After use, the entire grill can be put on the bonfire – only the lava stones will remain. Made from Perlite – a naturally-occurring volcanic glass used by nurseries as a soil improver – the lava stones can be left in nature without harming the environment. The materials are also biodegradable, so if you forget to burn or carry your grill out with you, the environment will not be harmed.

The CasusGrill is part of a new approach to green thinking based on the idea that a product can be both environmentally sustainable and produce an improved experience. What other products might be in need of redesign, to increase both sustainability and usability?