Are Compostable utensils really Compostable?
Are Compostable utensils really Compostable?
According to reports, while some utensils labeled as compostable can indeed be composted, many require specific conditions only available in industrial composting facilities. "Compostable products need specific temperature, humidity, and microbiome to decompose," notes a Google snippet from an expert source, explaining that home compost settings often fall short of these stringent requirements.
Since the world has woken up to the single-use plastic crisis, many people are now striving to lead a zero-waste lifestyle. As a result, grocery stores and take-out cafeterias are increasingly offering alternatives to common plastic forks. Many of these new options are labeled by their manufacturers as compostable and biodegradable. But, are they genuinely compostable?
Are all utensils labeled compostable really compostable and biodegradable?
The simple answer is NO!
Many compostable and biodegradable plastics are made from naturally occurring polymers such as starch or cellulose. This often leads to confusion, with compostable or biodegradable plastics mistakenly represented as "not plastic".
The Polymer Dilemma
Although a natural polymer (e.g., derived from a crop like corn) is used, the utensils are still essentially man-made in a laboratory via chemical reactions, similar to synthetic polymers. As a result, the 'compostable or biodegradable' materials marketed often still act like plastics. In essence, if it looks like and feels like plastic, it is plastic.
Compostable in Commercial Facilities
Here's the twist. These types of utensils can be composted, but not in your backyard heap at home. They require a commercial-grade composting facility where the matter is broken down into very small pieces and heated at incredibly high temperatures to biodegrade. This specific process is typically not accessible at home. According to a recent analysis by Biocycle, the total confirmed number of full-scale food waste composting facilities in the U.S. is only 185. So statistically speaking, you probably do not live near one.
If products are "certified" compostable, are they really compostable?
Yes and no.
Certified compostable products mean they have passed a specific compost test, commonly known as the ASTM D6400 – Compostable Product Test. This test specifies that to be compostable, matter must decompose within a "reasonably short period of time". For industrial composting, this means 84 days for fragmentation and 180 days for complete mineralization in a properly managed composting facility.
Certified Products: Industrial Composting Only
So yes, certified compostable products technically do biodegrade, but most are designed to compost only in commercial-grade facilities and may take 6-9 months to do so. Many of these items often bear a disclaimer, stating: "Check locally as a commercial composting facility does not exist in many communities - Not suitable for backyard composting."
Backyard Composting Limitations
Several third-party tests on compostable products in backyard composts showed that after two years, the majority of the utensils were still present. Thus, you may want to think twice before assuming your backyard compost can handle these utensils.
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What Happens to Most Compostable Utensils?
Composting is a very specific process that does not occur in landfills. It also does not occur in water. As mentioned earlier, there are only 185 full-scale food waste composting facilities in the US, compared to 3,092 active landfill dumps.
So, unless you separate your "compostable" utensils from regular garbage, and your city is among the few 5% with a commercial food waste composting system, your utensils will not compost. This is especially true unless they are simple grain-based utensils like TwentyFifty! Furthermore, if these utensils end up in waterways, they probably will not break down at all.
(The spoon on the left is a current 'compostable' spoon on the market. The spoon - or what's left of it - on the right is TwentyFifty. Both have been in water for 60 days).
The TwentyFifty Solution
This is why if you genuinely want compostable or biodegradable utensils, you should consider TwentyFiftyFork.com. Our forks and spoons are made only out of simple, wholesome ingredients like wheat flour, soy flour, corn flour, and water. Due to this, they break down in 30 days or less in your backyard compost and even biodegrade in water over time.
To solve our plastic pollution problem, we don't need a few people living a zero-waste life perfectly. We need many people doing it imperfectly. TwentyFifty is a simple, effective, and easy way to start.
Compostable Cups, Plates and Utensils
Biodegradable does not always mean compostable.
The Federal Trade Commission Green Guides have specific labeling requirements for items that are marketed as "biodegradable" or "compostable" to avoid deception. Just because something is labeled as "compostable" does not mean that your local compost facility will process it.
Regulatory Limitations
In California, Senate Bill 567 prohibits the labeling of any plastic or bioplastic product as biodegradable, oxo-degradable, oxo-biodegradable, or photodegradable. For more details, kindly visit Biodegradable Spoons.