Compostable packaging has grown in popularity over the last 5 years, but there is still a lot of misunderstanding around its purpose. Recyclability alone isn’t the primary objective; rather, it serves as a vehicle to divert food waste from incineration, transforming it into valuable compost while also preventing food contamination of the recycling stream.
Compostables are designed to tackle 3 main areas – fruit labels, tea bags and foodservice packaging. There is a common misconception that compostables contaminate recycling leading to lower rates. But the recycling rate in these applications is minimal due to food contamination. To effectively improve recycling rates in these areas, it’s essential to use materials that integrate with food waste, preventing it from becoming a contaminant. This is the true purpose of compostables, they provide an avenue for food, liquids and food stained items to go together in one bin, leaving recycling streams clean and dry. This solution not only creates a high value organic waste industry it also drives higher recycling rates for all waste streams – organic, paper, glass and metal.
It’s important to recognize that manufacturers of compostable foodservice packaging don’t advocate for replacing all plastic items with compostables. For instance, PET bottles and HDPE milk cartons already have established recycling systems. Compostables are specifically designed to address niche areas where recycling is impractical due to contamination from the organic materials they contain.
Currently, nearly all foodservice packaging is sent to incineration. We grow crops for food, extract oil to make plastic, cut down trees for packaging and then burn it all. This cycle of relentless resource extraction, without replenishment, drives atmospheric CO2 emissions and contributes to soil degradation. By adopting compostables, we can eliminate the need for oil extraction for packaging, creating a closed-loop system where food waste and packaging are transformed into nutrient-rich compost.
Many foodservice businesses are eager to do the right thing and are willing to pay a premium for products made from recycled and recyclable materials. However, these products often end up being incinerated due to contamination with food. It’s promising to see the Post-Consumer Recycled materials market grow, driving collection, processing rates, and initiatives like Extended Producer Responsibility and modulated fees. But we must ask: if these materials are simply burned when they re-enter the foodservice industry, can we truly claim that the system is effective?
News Courtesy : SPNews
