When ‘compostables’ are actually garbage

Do our “compostable” bags, utensils and containers really return to nature?

Hailed as a solution to the plastic problem, a growing number of new materials — marketed as biodegradable, sustainable, earth-friendly, decomposable or plant-based — promise to break down naturally in compost, easing our conscience about waste.

But the truth depends on where you live. In California, each community decides on the materials it will accept in its curbside collection program, based on the contract and capabilities of its waste processor.

​”It’s complicated ​and confusing,” said Mark Murray, executive​ director ​of the nonprofit Californians Against Waste, which advocates for waste prevention and recycling policies.

The Bay Area’s patchwork of local policies determines whether these materials will help fertilize a farm — or be dumped into a landfill.

If you live in San Francisco, Berkeley or Palo Alto, for example, certified “compostables” go in the green bin. If you live in Santa Cruz, they go in your trash bin. In San Jose, they also go in the trash bin, but they’re later pulled out and processed.

That’s because cities negotiate different contracts with the region’s dozen or so compost facilities. It’s more expensive to process “compostables,” especially plastics, than organic waste. And only a few facilities have the sophisticated equipment necessary to do the job.

To add to the complexity, not all items are created equal.  An uncoated fiber to-go container or bamboo fork, for instance, can often be treated like the leftovers from last night’s dinner. “Compostable” plastic is much more restricted; some facilities accept it only if it meets strict criteria, so green-bagged food scraps are often diverted to landfills. A  “biodegradable” item will simply decay over time; it can’t be composted.

To help consumers, California law prohibits the sale of products labeled “compostable” or “home compostable” unless they’ve been certified by an accredited group like the Biodegradable Products Institute.

But that doesn’t mean all such certified items can just be tossed in your green bin. While certified fiberware will compost, most certified plastic is screened out, according to Jeanine Sidran of StopWaste, a public agency that reduces waste in Alameda County.

“We all want a ‘compostable’ to be the magic wand that it’s marketed as,” said Melissa Valliant of Beyond Plastics, an advocacy group urging the federal government to update and expand its guidance on these materials. “But, unfortunately, it’s not.”

The global market for compostable packaging, made from a combination of recycled and plant-based materials, has exploded, increasing from $95.73 billion last year to a projected $167.29 billion by 2030.

Compostable bags offer a tidy way to line the waste pail in our kitchens or collect vegetables in the produce aisle of a grocery. To-go containers are popular at restaurants; utensils are trendy at picnics with friends. Companies like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods increasingly use “compostable” packaging.

Someday these products might have the potential to be better for the planet — but right now, they face many challenges, say experts.

The major problem, they say, is that available equipment can’t keep up with demand.

“Compostables” demand more heat to break down than food scraps, yard waste and other organic materials, said Murray. And they take longer.

“Nobody wants to see flecks of stuff in their compost,” he said.

Composting facilities are finicky. Their major customers are organic farms — and U.S. Department of Agriculture rules say these farms can’t use compost derived from compostable bioplastic packaging, for instance, due to concerns about chemical contamination and debris.

They only accept materials that they know will truly break down. The most advanced facilities, like the GreenWaste San Jose Material Recovery Facility and Recology’s facility east of Livermore, have sophisticated sorting. But many other facilities can’t distinguish between compostable and noncompostable packaging, so simply remove everything, sending it to landfill, Murray said.

America would “need a five, maybe 10 time, increase” in infrastructure to handle all the compostables and food waste residents generate, said Eric Hudiburgh of the U.S. Composting Council.

Faced with such limits, each community must make policies based on the materials its composting facility will accept, according to Lance Klug of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

Santa Cruz, for instance, doesn’t utilize industrial compost processing, so only food scraps are allowed in the green bin.

In Oakland, food vendors are prohibited from using “compostable” plastic foodware and residents must put such items in the trash, according to Recycling Program Specialist Etienne Lugo. Residents can line their compost pails with paper bags or newspaper, or place compost in cereal boxes, she said.

In contrast, San Francisco and Berkeley will accept anything certified as “BPI-compostable,” including bags. GreenWaste, which serves San Jose, Portola Valley, Palo Alto, Atherton, Los Altos Hills and Woodside, instructs residents to put all “compostables” in the black trash bin; once picked up, it gets sorted and composted.

Because San Mateo County relies on several different waste companies, there are slightly different rules for what they accept, said Karen Wang of San Mateo County’s Sustainability Department. For example, South San Francisco Scavenger Co. does not accept biodegradable green bags. But other haulers do.

Backyard compost piles rarely reach the 100 – 140 degrees needed to break down these products.

There’s another alternative: Throw away less stuff.

“A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it altogether,” said Robert Reed of Recology. Reed lines his kitchen compost with a paper towel and shops at his local farmer’s market carrying two five-gallon tubs.

“What did your grandparents do? What did your parents do? They had a metal fork and a metal knife and they washed them,” he said.