Is Compostable Plastic Really All It's Cracked Up to Be?
Buying compostable plastics or composting your food scraps is an attractive choice for many consumers, but do we have the infrastructure to make this eco-friendly market work? Composting is the process by which organic matter is turned into fertilizer. Compostable plastics used in food packaging, take-out utensils, and napkins are often labeled with a green leaf or ‘100% Compostable’ tag. Compostable cups, the most heavily purchased compostable item in the U.S. and Europe, are made from a corn-based substance called polylactic acid (PLA). According to Jeremy Kranowitz at Sustainable Living, “PLA cups are better in terms of greenhouse gas emissions since the corn used to create them captured carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the cup, if recycled, can enrich the soil.” The problem is, most compostable plastics are not disposed of in the proper composting facility because the municipality in which those products are being circulated has no infrastructure for it. ...