It’s the little things in life…that add up. When ordering food to go, how many times were you given a pile of extra plasticware and napkins? This is not to mention those pesky clamshell food containers themselves. In the ongoing shift away from petroleum-based plastic products, you may have noticed some plastic items now have “Compostable” printed on them. Learn about how to differentiate between biodegradable and compostable, and consider choosing bioplastics and other earth-friendly tableware and food packaging. 

According to a study conducted by Restaurants & Institutions magazine, nearly 83% of consumers surveyed said that environmentally friendly takeout packaging is either very important or somewhat important. More than 71% said that using environmentally friendly plates, to-go containers and utensils is also important.
                                                                                                                        
Types of Bioplastics
There are many companies that manufacture plastics from renewable resources. Raw materials used include corn or potato starch, cellulose, soy protein and lactic acid. These materials are not harmful to produce and decompose into carbon dioxide, water, etc. Some other items are made from bagasse, the natural cellulose fibers that remain after sugarcane stalks have been processed to remove their juice. Incidentally, bagasse is also used as a tree-free and bleach-free alternative for making paper. Natural fibers such as these will biodegrade in the presence of heat, moisture, oxygen and microorganisms that feed on the fibers.

Corn starch is currently the main raw material being used in the manufacture of bioplastic resins. Corn plastics are made from polylactide, or PLA, and are biodegradable, renewable and compostable. Chemistry lesson: PLA is made from lactic acid, which is made from dextrose by fermentation. Dextrose is made from cornstarch and cornstarch is made from carbon dioxide and water. PLA will compost in approximately 30-45 days. PLA is produced by Minnesota-based NatureWorks LLC, which recently started purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset greenhouse gases at their plant, reducing the environmental footprint of producing PLA.

It is a tricky thing to be completely green, especially when 50% of the U.S. corn supply used for PLA is genetically modified, and it is difficult to ensure that products are GMO-free. The field of bioplastics is constantly evolving with new materials and developing technologies. Find a sampling of wholesale and consumer bioplastics at Stalk Market Products and the Biodegradable Store.

Compostable vs. Biodegradable & Degradable
Don’t be greenwashed into thinking that just because something is biodegradable that it is good for the environment. Based on their material, bioplastics can take different periods of time to fully compost. Most international standards require 60% biodegradation within 180 days along with certain other criteria for the product to be called “compostable”. Usually these conditions are met at commercial composting facility, where there are higher composting temperatures.

Biodegradable plastic will degrade when microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi break them down. There is no requirement for leaving "no toxic residue", nor requirements for the time it needs to take to biodegrade.

Degradable plastic will undergo changes in its chemical structure and lose some of its properties under certain conditions. There is no requirement that the plastic has to be broken down from the action of "naturally occurring microorganism" or any of the other criteria required for compostable plastics.

To sum it up, a plastic may therefore be degradable but not biodegradable. Plastic may be biodegradable but not compostable if it breaks down too slowly or leaves toxic residue. It seems many bioplastics are currently not certified for compostability, though some are certified for biodegradability. There are a lot of rumors out there about how it takes 500 million years for a plastic bag to decompose, so I found this site that seems more reliable: Estimated Composting Times.

What happens when a compostable item ends up in a landfill or recycling bin?
One common mistake with compostable ware is that it is ok to throw it into the trash or recycling bin. Even if some products end up in a landfill, they will still break down provided air and moisture are present, but this may take significantly longer and greatly depends on how the landfill operates. Most landfills are not designed to allow biodegrading of their contents. Sometimes, even apple cores do not decompose once they reach the landfill! Modern landfills are lined on the bottom with clay and plastic to keep waste from escaping into the soil and are covered daily with a layer of earth to reduce odor. The contents of the landfill receives little air, water or sunlight. This means that even readily degradable objects won’t actually degrade. Landfill Fun Facts.

Some of the PLA plastics are labeled #7 and end up being thrown into curbside recycling bins. This is sometimes leads to the sorting machines gumming up and causing a problem for the recycling center. Check with your recycling center to be sure PLA plastics are accepted before you decide which bin to throw them in.

Most of these compostable products, then, require that they are shipped to a commercial composting facility. Most restaurants have a trash and recycling bin, but not a compost bin. Some cities have commercial composting programs so those cups, forks, spoons and containers should transported to the composting facility. To find your nearest PLA certified composting facility click here. Who honestly has the time to drop these containers off at a recycling plant? The bottom line seems to be that even if compostable items still wind up in the trash it is still better to buy and use products made from a renewable resource instead of regular plastic that is made from oil.

What about those other little food accoutrements like straws and chopsticks that proliferate in drawers in houses and offices alike? Luckily, you can search for and find similar corn-based drinking straws made out of sustainable, compostable bioplastic at Earth Straws or at Cereplast. I also heard you can reuse chopsticks if you are learning to knit, and that the stitches stay on better than conventional metal knitting needles. I found some Recycled Chopstick Art and other Ways to Reuse Chopsticks.

Image: Flickr/tomeppy