Compostable Tableware…Or Not
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 1.06
One of our readers asked whether, lacking one's own compost heap, “is it better to use biodegradeable or ‘compostable’ cutlery [table ware] and dispose of it in regular trash, or is it better to use products that are made from a high percentage of recycled materials, but not biodegradable or compostable”? The answer: tableware generally is not made with a high post consumer recycled plastic content because of the difficulty of certifying that the resulting products will be suitable for food contact. The problem comes in if contaminated plastic items make their way into the recycle stream (ever clean a paint brush in a plastic cup?). If you see recycled content advertised for a non-biodegradable tableware line, the feedstock is likely from so-called “post-manufacturing” waste.
One alternative is to purchase high quality, durable, non-biodegradable utensils for picnics or barbecues. After the party, collect the utensils to wash for the next party. Not the plates though, as even the best plastic ones will melt in the dishwasher. Under any circumstance, then, "picnic plates" should be biodegradable.
If you’re certain that most of the plastic utensils are going to end up tossed, perhaps because no one wants to look cheap enough to ask to have them collected, then biodegradable everything is the best choice, no matter whether you supervise the bacteria or they do their work at the landfill. Either way, you’re helping to wean the market off petrochemicals.
I'm not sure I completely agree with this post, for two reasons:
1) There are viable post-consumer plastic options available, such as the Preserve brand from Recycline (www.recycline.com). I don't use a dishwasher, but they claim that their products will withstand one!
2) While I agree that it is good to "wean the market off petrochemicals," I think there is a growing misconception that biodegradeable products will do just as well in a landfill as they will when composted. Not true. Because of the way landfills are packed, you can find loads and loads of newspaper sitting there after years, not breaking down as they would in a compost. There is is simply not enough aeration or correct water content to promote breakdown. So think carefully about composting options--don't assume that something will disappear in a landfill just because it is biodegradeable. Push your municipality to provide composting services if you can't start your own!
(Also not the difference between products that are compostable in your backyard...and those that require industrial composting. The latter gets MUCH hotter and some products only break down at these high temperatures. Look carefully at the labels when buying!)
In an earlier posting on compostable tableware, someone mentioned carrying Lexan utensils with them. My mom has always - for the 38 years I've known her, at least - carried plastic cutlery in her purse. Among other potentially useful items. I now do the same so I don't have to use disposable plastic when they are the only option. And when plasticware does accumulate at home, I use it for picnics and backyard dining, etc. and then wash and reuse. I've never had to buy disposable utensils. It's sort of like pens - they show up in your pocket or desktop, no idea from where, so you never have to buy a fresh Bic.
I know that this idea may get blasted but ... What about wooden utensils, especially if that are produced in a sustainable manner?
I have seen wooden picnic utensils (forks and spoons) for sale but have not checked out whether they are sustainable. May be this is an idea someone can make happen ...
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editor note: Isn't there a possibility for wood to get contaminated, though (especially if you eat meat with it)?
=== author's added note ===
When I was a kid my mom had a large set of picnic cutlery which consisted of metal spoons,forks, and table knives on the working end with...ya you betcha... detachable bamboo handles!!! (they had metal slip rings to hold the working ends in place.)
There is no reason why an enterprising company could not make the working ends of picnic utensils out of compostable plastic with detachable handles again made of bamboo. It would cut the waste about in half. Design does matter.
Happy 4th all. JL
Remember that most landfills will actually prevent so-called biodegradable plastics from degrading. People don't seem to understand this.
The best solution is to use bioplastics that can degrade in your own household backyard compost. Relying on municipal landfills isn't a good idea unless they have a special organic waste stream.
there is a germann company who provides tableware made from a "same-use-recyclable" fibre, like the pure polyesther clothing-lines of patagonia and vaude. no downcycling!!!
they take the tableware (knifes, spoons, plates) back and make new ones of it without needing to add fresh fibres. their system got certified for food contact because the used tableware is cleaned at molecular level. they use a two steps system with a citrus based acid and a lye? (german:lauge). the company has contracts with fast food restaurants who collect their used tableware seperate and give it back for recycling.
I saw this on german tv but i don´t remember the name of the company and i didn´t find it by google yet. what i remember is that the company did a lifecycle analysis on their products and it bets compostable counterparts. the company tries to get into packeging now cause they are also able to make clear foils of their fibre. fibres and sytems like that could be an amazing step towards a circular flow economy.
=== author's response follows ====
Sounds like a wonderful option with lots more potential. If anyone has a link please add a comment and we'll do a full post on it.
What does it matter if it isn't post consumer? It's getting a tad annoying seeing these kinds of comments about them. It is essentially the same thing, the companies are trying to cut waste from their operations.
=== author's response follows ====
Always good to up production yield..for profit sake as well as environment sake. Post consumer is simply the biggest chunk of the pie to improve upon once that's done.
I found the website of the mentioned company (english language supported!!!). it is well made with flash-vids explainig every single step of the recycling-process.
http://www.belland.de/flash/flash_eng.html
a correction to a misleading point of my first post. the closed material cycle tableware of the german company does not need to be collected seperately. the recycling prozess itself seperates the tableware material from others. logically the system loses economic and ecologic advantages the more "foreign" materials get into the recycling process and have to be seperated. this is why using this material for food-packeging only makes sence on a larger scale. maybee the reviewer can find out how large the percentage has to be to reach profitability.
Biodegradable seems best to me, except I live in an apt. in NYC in an area w/no community gardens. I don't have the time for worms/indoor composting, don't have the space for outdoor composting, and locations that would accept scraps for composting are far away.
Given no composting, it seems biodegradable is no different than recycled in that both will take up space in a landfill and not degrade. Eventually, one day far in the future, if landfills are breached the compostable stuff will degrade, but...
My question: which product uses the most energy to create? Chances are the factories for neither are powered by wind/solar, so if creating recycled plastics burns fewer fuels than creating bioplastics, that seems to be the deciding point.
How environmental friendly are biodegradable plastic cups?
For a bigger rock festival in Beijing/ China we are currently seeking a waste management solution. Most of the waste we expect will be plastic cups and plastic food containers.
We have found a company that produces biodegradable cups to an affordable price. However - they say the cups will degrade to Water and CO2.
My question: How much CO2 is being produced and is it still worth to go for biodegradable cups if the degradation has an impact on global warming?