“Compostable,” “made from plants,” “biodegradable,” “plant-based” and “bio-” plastic — surely all of these mean the same thing, right? That we can chuck that coffee cup, that plastic spoon, and our green plastic bags in the compost pile and they’ll naturally biodegrade there?
High levels of waste production have spurred a resurgence of composting in the DMV area. Expansion of food-scrap collection locations in Fairfax County, and the rising popularity of curbside collection programs (such as Compost Crew—which recently signed a contract to pilot curbside residential compost collection in Alexandria City), have given even more residents options to divert some of their waste, without having to compost at-home. Yet as composting becomes more popular, concerns of contamination and wishful composting—not unlike wishcycling—are bound to arise. Chiefly, as more consumers, businesses, and municipalities look to make changes in their purchases and perhaps lessen their reliance on pesky and highly-polluted single-use plastic, they may turn to the shiny new thing being pushed by the plastics manufacturing industry: bioplastics [aka: any of the synonyms listed above].
This is a good thing right? Bio-plastic sounds so clean and green! And the marketing behind many of these products does a fantastic job reinforcing these impressions. Yet, just because a plastic item was “made from plants,” does not mean it wasn’t also made in-part from or using fossil fuels. In fact:
Plant-based plastic is a type of bioplastic that is created from agricultural scraps, often from corn, sugarcane, wheat or food waste. The term ‘plant-based’ refers to the source of the material itself, not how the resulting plastic will behave after it’s been thrown away.
But, there’s a catch! Only 20% of the ingredients need to be from renewable, organic materials in order for a plastic to be labelled ‘plant-based’. This means the resulting plastic could still be non-biodegradable and be made from up to 80% fossil fuels!
Compostable plastic alternatives (and confusion) on the rise
Walmart just announced that it plans to offer an alternative to single-use plastics with the launch of a Great Value (their store brand) commercially compostable cutlery product line. Similarly, the spirit-maker Bacardi is introducing biodegradable bottles for its products, and Mars-Wrigley will debut Skittles with biodegradable wrappers in the U.S. this year (Vaughan, 2023). Around the globe, bioplastic straws, bags, wrappers, packaging, and other substitutes for plastic items are flooding the market, promising a way to make single-use use more sustainable.
Yet, there is an important caveat to these products that appear to be biodegradable, and even claim to be compostable. Oftentimes, these items must be composted in a commercial facility—i.e., they cannot just go on the food scrap pile in the backyard, or worse, chucked on the ground.
A survey from BPI and Closed Loop Partners’ Composting Consortium found that consumers often struggle with the “compostable” and “biodegradable” messaging on packaging. Confusing, misleading, and differentiated messaging are all significant hurdles in successful, large-scale consumer and commercial composting.
Some highlights from the study include:
49% of respondents had trouble distinguishing between the terms “biodegradable” and “compostable”; up to 50% of respondents thought they could compost packaging labeled “made from plants”; and nearly one-third of respondents said they would incorrectly put compostable packaging in a recycling bin.
Labeling and design impact how consumers dispose of packaging…Improper end-of-life disposal can result in compostable products ending up in recycling streams or landfills instead of being processed as organics. It can also result in organics contamination, a costly issue that can result in commercial processors rejecting entire loads of organic material.
Consumers frequently do not understand the differences in materials that can be composted in commercial programs as opposed to at-home systems. Plus, “compostable” products are “biodegradable,” but the inverse is not always true; biodegradable is a broader term that means materials will break down but not necessarily at the speed needed for successful composting.
Consumers often are confused about “biodegradable” and “compostable,” according to the report “Unpacking Labeling and Design: U.S. Consumer Perception of Compostable Packaging.”
Pyzyk, K. (2023, July 11). Consumers don’t understand ‘compostable’ messaging on packaging, survey finds. Industry Dive. packagingdive.com.
The study concluded with recommendations that increased clarity and education needs to accompany production of these products. Specifically, they hope that manufacturers and policymakers will promote labeling consistency and standardization to help reduce contamination in recycling and organics collection streams. As a consumer, be sure to look for items with the BPI certified-compostable label on them!
Looking local
A current example of this compostable confusion in Fairfax County can be found at local Farmers Markets and the produce/meat sections of some grocery store chains. Here, we’re finding plastic bags (often tinted green) with claims of compostability printed on them. These products represent a well-intended alternative to the single-use plastic “t-shirt” bags, yet there is not always clarity on how and where to dispose of the bags. Be sure to read the fine print here! Again, these items must often be composted at an industrial/commercial facility, or can only be “recycled” at grocery store collections. So, if you find yourselves with these “green” bags, certainly dispose of them properly in your curbside compost collection, bring them back to the food scrap/compost collection tents at the Farmers Markets, or take them directly to the I-95 Landfill Complex or the I-66 Transfer Station compost area!
