Compostable packaging has become more common as food service businesses make efforts to lower their environmental footprints while still trying to maintain the convenience of single-use service items. Often, these premium cost products are branded with ecological motifs and certification labels that give consumers and service providers a sense of satisfaction that they are reducing impact. Unfortunately, the promise of “compostable” does not mean it will be “composted”.
Composting does not occur in the anaerobic environment of landfills, so unless compostable products make it to an appropriate composting facilities, they cannot fulfill their intended lifecycle. Furthermore, when evaluated through life cycle analysis, the manufacturing of many compostable products is found to be more resource intensive than conventional disposables made from paper or plastic. Therefore, if these materials are not properly managed after use, they can be worse for the environment than what they intend to replace.
Not all compostable products are created equally nor are all composting facilities, so there is room to debate the risks and benefits of different solutions. Some will argue that the use of renewable raw materials is better than petroleum-based plastics regardless of where they are disposed, which can be considered from both health and environmental impact perspectives. Others may point out the contamination challenges faced by composters due to consumer confusion around which products are truly compostable in their local system.
The bottom line is that there are no simple answers, and a systematic view must be taken to determine which solutions make the most sense for a specific context. But clearly, without the right waste management strategy in place, those buying compostables with the intention of going green could just be investing in more expensive garbage.
For those wanting to dig deeper into the topic. Here is a good place to start: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/FilterDocs/compostable.pdf
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