If you’re checking out this website, chances are good you’ve heard of bioplastics: “biodegradable”, “compostable”, and the worst of all, “degradable”.
Every time I get a product marketing itself as any of these terms, I feel obligated to hold onto it. I have a few garbage bags, some cups, and utensils all claiming this other form of degradation.
I need to ask, how much do you trust these products to be non-toxic and actually doing what they say? What’s tough about this is that the average (and expert) composter at home isn’t going to have an easy time composting any of these bioplastic products…remember the Sun Chips bag?
If I tried to compost these items in the largest compost heap, I couldn’t get temperatures to stay high enough for long enough to take care of these…how do I know? Commercial composting facilities don’t like receiving this stuff, either. It definitely takes more than one full cycle to get them reduced.
I find it strange that this product exists, as landfills aren’t designed to have air flowing through them, but actually the opposite. Therefore these products shouldn’t show any real results, right? Let’s not forget about cost.
I never understand how bioplastic cups are still around in the marketplace. They cost a lot more than the standard cup, and most of them are still plastic underneath. If they’re something better than oxo-biodegradable (plastic + heavy metals), they still biodegrade at a high cost in comparison to paper cups. This exact comparison is why styrofoam cups still fly off the shelves- they’re cheaper than paper cups (although they will never degrade and don’t infuse oxygen into landfills…ha!).
Therefore, if you’re trying to start a composting program where you work, remember that you don’t need to buy all the compostable products out there. Paper cups are definitely compostable, way cheaper than compostable cups (which are often a sham anyway), and are often cheaper than plastic cups. Did I mention they don’t leach?
While paper production isn’t a perfect process, I’d still choose it over any bioplastic product whenever possible.
