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Dear Eartha,
Many local restaurants are using biodegradable corn cups and cutlery, but since they don't break down in my backyard bin there is really no place to compost them. They're not even recyclable. Seems like another wasteful disposable product – what do you think?
Jan, Silverthorne
Just a few years ago, using biodegradable plastic cups made from corn was a novelty for specialized green events. I remember the first generation of cups that couldn't be left in the sun for more than 10 minutes before they'd start to melt, regardless of whether you finished your beer or not.
But, you're right, these days they are popping up all over the place and they are more sturdy and durable than ever. For those readers confused by the biodegradable plastic issue, let's do a quick refresher.
Our “traditional” plastic is made from petroleum. Yup, the same stuff we put in our cars. Biodegradable plastic is generally made from corn that's grown right here in America. Keep in mind that the corn cups don't add competition to the system for food. The corn-based plastic uses the stock and fibrous parts of the corn, not the kernel.
This corn-based plastic is made primarily from one single company, NatureWorks (a subsidiary of Cargill), and is labeled as a “#7-other” plastic. Its code is PLA, which stands for polylactic acid.
These PLA plastics, which appear now in salad green containers on the grocery store shelves, in forks at local restaurants, and in cups at many special events, are designed to break down in high-heat commercial composting facilities. As Jan mentioned, they don't break down in a backyard bin.
They are virtually indistinguishable from petroleum-based plastic and can often confuse consumers because they are NOT recyclable with “regular” plastics. In fact, some communities with curbside collection systems are finding these PLA plastics are becoming an increasingly difficult contamination problem for their plastic streams.
Another myth of the biodegradable plastic is that it will break down in a landfill or on land or oceans as litter. The biodegradable plastics are meant to be sturdy enough for a variety of uses, and while they may have some degradability advantage over traditional plastics, a corn-cup will last a very long time on the side of the road or in a landfill.
So what's the point of using them? For me, while they aren't perfect and our discard management systems haven't caught up to them, they represent a truly great new direction for our containers and materials.
Petroleum-based plastics are inherently problematic for the environment — through their entire life cycle. They are made from a non-renewable resource that contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
And as we've seen in the giant ocean of plastic floating in the sea — the leaching of chemicals into our foods from these containers, and the difficulty in recycling the innumerable renditions of new plastic materials — the scope of human and environmental health problems associated with plastics is growing.
Biodegradable plastics represent a new solution for packaging that has a much better life-cycle than the “traditional” plastics and a smaller carbon footprint too — even when the pesticides and fertilizers and tractors are used to produce the corn feedstock. Plus, there's new research into less water and pesticide intensive feedstocks, like switchgrass, for the PLA plastics.
Our challenge as a community, and perhaps as a society, is now to create systems to collect the compostable materials from the restaurants, homes, and events that use the biodegradable plastics. It doesn't seem to happen very often, but maybe this time industry is leading us in the right direction.
Here in Summit, our dedicated recycling and composting staff at the landfill is working on some compost collection projects to test some systems that may work in our mountain environment. Stay tuned, and ask your elected officials to support compost collection in your community.
Ask Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier and Jen Santry at the High Country Conservation Center. To submit questions or column suggestions, contact them at eartha@highcountryconservation.org
Many local restaurants are using biodegradable corn cups and cutlery, but since they don't break down in my backyard bin there is really no place to compost them. They're not even recyclable. Seems like another wasteful disposable product – what do you think?
Jan, Silverthorne
Just a few years ago, using biodegradable plastic cups made from corn was a novelty for specialized green events. I remember the first generation of cups that couldn't be left in the sun for more than 10 minutes before they'd start to melt, regardless of whether you finished your beer or not.
But, you're right, these days they are popping up all over the place and they are more sturdy and durable than ever. For those readers confused by the biodegradable plastic issue, let's do a quick refresher.
Our “traditional” plastic is made from petroleum. Yup, the same stuff we put in our cars. Biodegradable plastic is generally made from corn that's grown right here in America. Keep in mind that the corn cups don't add competition to the system for food. The corn-based plastic uses the stock and fibrous parts of the corn, not the kernel.
This corn-based plastic is made primarily from one single company, NatureWorks (a subsidiary of Cargill), and is labeled as a “#7-other” plastic. Its code is PLA, which stands for polylactic acid.
These PLA plastics, which appear now in salad green containers on the grocery store shelves, in forks at local restaurants, and in cups at many special events, are designed to break down in high-heat commercial composting facilities. As Jan mentioned, they don't break down in a backyard bin.
They are virtually indistinguishable from petroleum-based plastic and can often confuse consumers because they are NOT recyclable with “regular” plastics. In fact, some communities with curbside collection systems are finding these PLA plastics are becoming an increasingly difficult contamination problem for their plastic streams.
Another myth of the biodegradable plastic is that it will break down in a landfill or on land or oceans as litter. The biodegradable plastics are meant to be sturdy enough for a variety of uses, and while they may have some degradability advantage over traditional plastics, a corn-cup will last a very long time on the side of the road or in a landfill.
So what's the point of using them? For me, while they aren't perfect and our discard management systems haven't caught up to them, they represent a truly great new direction for our containers and materials.
Petroleum-based plastics are inherently problematic for the environment — through their entire life cycle. They are made from a non-renewable resource that contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
And as we've seen in the giant ocean of plastic floating in the sea — the leaching of chemicals into our foods from these containers, and the difficulty in recycling the innumerable renditions of new plastic materials — the scope of human and environmental health problems associated with plastics is growing.
Biodegradable plastics represent a new solution for packaging that has a much better life-cycle than the “traditional” plastics and a smaller carbon footprint too — even when the pesticides and fertilizers and tractors are used to produce the corn feedstock. Plus, there's new research into less water and pesticide intensive feedstocks, like switchgrass, for the PLA plastics.
Our challenge as a community, and perhaps as a society, is now to create systems to collect the compostable materials from the restaurants, homes, and events that use the biodegradable plastics. It doesn't seem to happen very often, but maybe this time industry is leading us in the right direction.
Here in Summit, our dedicated recycling and composting staff at the landfill is working on some compost collection projects to test some systems that may work in our mountain environment. Stay tuned, and ask your elected officials to support compost collection in your community.
Ask Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier and Jen Santry at the High Country Conservation Center. To submit questions or column suggestions, contact them at eartha@highcountryconservation.org
