Compostable Plastic Is Garbage
In most cases, compostable plastic is compostable only under very specific conditions.And a home compost pile is like the industrial version in the same way that a pickup-basketball game among preteens is the same sport as the NBA. Fruit and vegetables start to dissolve into soil within a few weeks; meat takes a little longer. Eventually, any form of compostable plastic should break down too, Frederick Michel Jr., a compost expert at Ohio State University, told me. Eventually. In one study, compostable plastic bags buried in soil for three years were so sturdy they could still hold a full load of groceries.
Bio-Based Plastic Won’t Solve the Plastic Problem
If you order takeout in Los Angeles and your meal comes with a compostable fork made from PLA—a common bio-based plastic—you’re not supposed to toss the utensil in your curbside compost bin. The city doesn’t want any products or packaging labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable,” saying that the materials don’t actually break down quickly enough even at commercial composting facilities. The fork also can’t go in a recycling bin, since it can contaminate other materials. And if it ends up in a landfill or the ocean, it may last as long as if it had been made from regular plastic.
The Myth of ‘Home-Compostable’ Plastics
As single-use plastics fall further out of favor among environmentally-conscious consumers and governments, many companies are turning to newer materials that they say will break down in people’s backyard composting bins. But new research reveals that most of these so-called “home-compostable” plastics don’t live up to their labels.
‘Compostable Plastic’ Doesn’t Live Up to Its Environmental Claims. Here’s What You Can Focus On Instead
So as demand for climate action escalates and the dangers of plastics become more evident, consumers are turning to so-called compostable and biodegradable alternatives for things like food containers, cups, plates, cutlery and bags, in hopes of mitigating further climate and environmental harms. But unfortunately, researchers say those products are also a problem.
What You Need to Know About Bioplastics
Bioplastics are a small but growing market of plastics that are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to concerns about the environmental and health impacts of traditional plastic. But behind that green sheen, biodegradable and compostable plastics have serious problems.