How eco-friendly are compostable bags and coffee cups?

As concern about plastic grows, more and more retailers and food vendors are looking to switch their packaging over to something more sustainable. But the world of &#;compostable&#; and &#;biodegradable&#; options can be a confusing one.

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In this article, we look at how to dispose of compostable bags and cups, ask what conditions they need in order to break down, and examine the most eco-friendly options for consumers. 

What is compostable packaging? 

Compostable packaging is made from materials that can totally break down over time to produce organic matter. It has become a popular replacement for plastic, which never fully decomposes, but splits into smaller and smaller pieces that pollute rivers and seas.

Compostable bags are often made from vegetable matter like potato or corn starch. Compostable coffee cups and other food packaging can be made from materials like plant-based polymers, also produced from corn-starch or sugar cane, or from paper or cardboard.

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However, compostable and biodegradable plastics can also be made from fossil fuels &#; just like conventional plastics.  

Paper bags

The other product that can be used to collect your organic waste is a lined paper bag. You may not realized that the paper bags used for this are lined, but they all are! A paper bag without a lining will not have any resistance to water. As a result, most paper bags are lined with cellulose. Cellulose is a natural product that is inexpensive and gives a moderate amount of protection from leaks. It does nothing to add strength or durability to the bag. Natural fiber bags do two things really well; compost and use sustainable materials. Where they fall short is in performance. These are usually in form of kraft paper bags that don&#;t work in bins (even when lined with compostable cellulose), and react very poorly to wet organics. However, in situations where their limitations can be accommodated, these bags live up to their environmental claims very well.

Low-cost compostable film bags

A cheaper compostable film bag will have a very similar chemical make-up to a premium bags except the formula is tweaked to reduce the cost of the resin. This decreases the strength and leak resistance of the bag. Along with that, these bags will often have filler elements added in to further stretch how many bags can be produced. To top it off, many will label it as &#;Corn-based&#; to increase the appearance of the bag as being natural. This is a bit of a misnomer &#; all compostable bags have a compostable polymer as their base, with a lesser percentage of a renewable resource such as starch or PLA making up the balance. These &#;corn-based&#; alternatives contain starch, which has hydrophilic properties. The result is a bag that absorbs the moisture from your organic waste and will weaken, leak, and break much more easily.

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