5 Reasons to Stop Using Compostable Packaging
What is the reality of compostable packaging? It ends up in landfills. Here are 5 reasons to stop using compostables in food services:
They create the same amount of waste (being single-use) and end up in landfills;
They do not reduce pollution in cities or in nature (they do not degrade like organic waste);
They emit much more CO2 (7x more than reusables);
They cost at least 15%-30% more than other single-use products;
Compostable plastics will be banned in Montreal as of March 2023.
The Harsh Reality of Compostable Packaging
For many years now, there’s been a growing public outrage over single-use plastics – which we fully endorse (obviously!). However, in the midst of this storm, there’s also been a growing commercial interest in pushing other single-use solutions like compostable packaging and biodegradable plastics.
The problem is that fighting fire with fire rarely works and we are now stuck with a solution that is simply worse for the environment. Below are some reasons that will hopefully make you ditch those compostable containers forever!
Below are some reasons we hope will make you get rid of compostables for good!
They create the same amount of waste volumes that go to landfills (being single-use)
Packaging materials used to conceive compostables are much more solid and harder to process than organic materials like food scraps. The majority of compostable packaging products can’t break down fast enough to be treated by industrial composting facilities. Thus, they are screened out and sent to landfills.
Many of us think that compostables will naturally break down with time even though they are thrown in landfills, but in reality that is entirely wrong. Composting is a complex process requiring the right temperature, oxygen, and very specific conditions. Without a well-suited industrial composting facility, which is very rare in North America, the products will not be able to degrade properly. Packaging is nothing like fruits or vegetables!
2. Compostables are not composted (they are screened out from compost bins and thrown out to landfills)
The reality is that all compostable materials undergo a pre-conditioning process. This consists of screening all organic materials to remove any foreign bodies inevitably present in those collected from residential and commercial bins. These foreign bodies are then sent to the landfill site for disposal.
The problem is that the pre-conditioning system cannot distinguish between "compostable" and "non-compostable" foreign materials like “biodegradables”. Consequently, compostable products are again extremely likely to be screened out of municipal compost bins and tossed in landfills, creating as significant amounts of packaging pollution as single-use plastics.
3. Compostables Emit Much More CO2
When tossed in landfills, compostables end up producing methane, a colourless and odourless gas that is much worse for the environment than carbon dioxide. In fact, “methane has more than 80 times the warming power of CO2 over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere” (Environmental Defense Fund).
Compostable containers also produce over 4 times more greenhouse emissions than single-use cardboard or plastic because of the significant amount of fossil fuels required during the agricultural phase (eg. heavy machinery, processing and transportation). They also produce 7x more greenhouse emissions than reusables. (LCA Ciraig and Polytechnique, 2017)
Growing crops for biomaterials also uses much more water, non-renewable energy and land space. Moreover, it creates an increased risk of acid rain, thus contaminating soils because of fertilizers and pesticides while also creating nutrient overloads in waterways.
4. Compostables Cost At Least 15-30% More Than Other Single-Use Options
Our planet is not the only one to suffer significantly from compostable containers: businesses are too. Understanding that single-use compostable products end up in landfills is a very sad reality for businesses choosing to invest in them.
In fact, compostable containers cost much more than traditional single-use containers. “We’re talking about at least 15% to 30% higher costs on a per packaging basis. For many businesses, it represents tens of thousands of dollars thrown away every year” (CBC, 2022).
5. Compostable Plastics Will be banned in Montreal’s food services starting in March 2023 (Read Here)
Montreal has passed a by-law that will ban certain single-use packaging in restaurants and food establishments. This by-law will come into force as of March 2023 and prohibits not only single-use plastics, but also any single-use items made from degradable plastics (oxo-degradable, oxo-fragmentable, biodegradable, or compostable). Montreal is opening the door to a zero-waste future, which leads us to believe that packaging bans will only keep increasing across Canada.
So, What’s the Best Solution?
The environmental impact of producing and disposing of compostable products significantly outweighs the advantages. In reality, the bigger problem isn’t just single-use plastics – it’s single-use itself. We cannot replace a single-use product with another single-use solution and expect all of our problems to disappear.
So what should we do? Amélie Côté, a reduction at the source analyst at Équiterre, said it best in RAD’s report on compostable packaging: the optimal solution is REUSABLES.
Here are our own recommendations:
Offer reusables for take-away
Cano’s reusable containers are easy to borrow and return without a deposit (everyone wins!);
Accept personal containers
Implement a safe process to serve customers in their reusable containers when possible;
Offer and encourage on-site consumption with traditional tableware.
If you have any questions or need support in your transition, don't hesitate to contact us at the following address: info@canocompany.com.
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