Wheat-Based Biodegradable Cutlery
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island 
on 02. 1.06
Not too long ago we posted a Q&A about eco-friendly disposable cutlery. There seem to be a few companies out there that offer alternatives to plastic and today we have one more to add to the list. Earthware Biodegradables is a company started by Jerome Rubin who wanted to find a solution to our “throw away” society. Their debut included non-GMO wheat-based cutlery that breaks down completely in 3-6 weeks and one thing we love is that it's safe for people who have gluten allergies. In addition, it has a shelf life of five years, is heat-resistant and dishwasher safe. Since this cutlery is reusable, it seems to us it will be around for awhile, but like the others, when it does wear out you can toss it in the compost pile. At the moment, Earthware Biodegradables also sells corn-based cutlery and in the next few months they plan to add more biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable products for the home and professional food service industry. Thanks for the tip, Dawn W.! ::Earthware Biodegradables
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What I always wonder about these biodegreable products is: Under what circumstances are they biodegrable? A few people I've met have said that they've tried to compost a biodegreable bottle -- and couldn't. The conversation then went to our pondering about if the biodegreable bottles were only biodegreable in big compost programs, not the puny lil compost bins in our homes.
Meaning -- In real life terms, not ideal terms -- Has anyone had any personal experience trying to biodegrade this type of stuff?
The other thing is -- What happens if the stuff gets thrown in the usual recycling bin? Cuz this cutlery -- and biodegreable bottles, etc. -- often looks like plastic. Does it find its way to municipal compost pits? Or does it get sent to the city dump?
From:
Margaret
February 1 2006
Re Biodegradables derived from wheat.
I am for biodegradables. We need more sources other than oil. However, wheat and soya are common allergens.
Removing the gluten from reusable cutlery will not help. This only works for people with celiac disorder that is under control.
Whoever promoted this forgot to get out of labatory.
Best
Margaret
As a multiple allergy sufferer myself,I take Margaret's point about allergens. This product would have to be clearly labelled as a potential hazard to people with wheat allergy, but it's still a huge step in the right direction! Kudos to the inventor!
Although I do applaud the development of biodegradable plastic, as a person with a severe corn allergy I want to warn against the "hypoallergenic" label on these products.
I discovered that a local cafe had switched to corn oil based straws by reacting horribly after using one with a drink that is safe for me. I had a similar experience with a corn plastic cup, used it not knowing it was made out of corn -- another serious reaction.
According to the manufacturers, the plastic is stable as long as it is stored under 110 degrees. Perhaps that heat exposure has rendered most of them slightly unstable. So, please let your readers with food allergies know that they must be careful with / wary of these products.
The question is does this product meet the US standard for biodegradable plastics? The industry standard is ASTM D6400. I have seen a lot of people mix wheat/potato/corn starch with polypropylene or polystyrene and pass these products off as biodegradable. Not only is that false advertising, but it also creates more harm to the environment, because the polypropylene or polystyrene fragments contaminate the soil environment long after the starch has biodegraded. The only way to confirm whether a plastic product is truly biodegradable is to check whether that product has the approval of the Biodegradable Products Institute www.bpiworld.org
... but it's still disposable... Part of the problem in our society is that everything is disposable. Planned obsolescence.
This is the main critic I might make. And what about life cycle. It might be biodegradable, but do we have a real life cycle analysis to prove it's better to use this kind of cutlery... I just need to be questionning the whole "disposable" idea !
And yes, contamination of recyclables can happen, especially with new PLA plastic containers, confused with PET.
I'm quite sure that the wheat-based cutlery by Earthware Biodegradables does not meet the ASTM D6400, which is the US standard for biodegradable plastics. The reason for that is the microbes in a compost pile break down truly compostable plastic under heat and high humidity conditions and consume the plastic as a food source. If the cutlery is microwave and dishwasher safe and can resist the high heat and humidity of the dishwasher, there is no way it can be broken down by the microbes. I suspect this manufacturer is mixing wheat starch into regular plastic such as polypropylene and passing it off as biodegradable and compostable. One has to be careful of all the "greenwashing" that goes on under the guise of eco-friendly products.