Bioplastic Serviceware: What To Consider

Many articles and blogs about producing a sustainable event will advise using recyclable or compostable serviceware for food and beverages.   It’s well known that recycling plastic has lots of challenges (less than 10% of plastic actually gets recycled).

Therefore, many event professionals look to bioplastic, compostable serviceware as the answer.  But it’s not quite so simple.  There are many things to consider. 

Bioplastic looks and performs like plastic made from fossil fuels, but for simplicity's sake, here’s the difference:

• Petroleum plastics are made from fossil fuels such as natural gas and crude oil 

• Bioplastics are made of plants such as corn and other grains 

(Souce: Bioplastics - Are They as Good as They Seem?)

Common sense would have us assume that a cup made from corn is better for the environment than a cup made from fossil fuels. However, studies show that bioplastic production can result in more amounts of pollutants, like fertilizers and pesticides, additionally, toxic chemicals are often used to turn organic material into plastic.  

It’s a choice we all have to make: practicality vs sustainability vs cost.  Here are things to keep in mind when deciding what type of serviceware is right for your event.

1. When using bioplastic/compostable serviceware, lack of infrastructure is a leading problem.  Compostable bioplastics take very specific conditions to break down.  Of course you need to ask your compost vendor for specifics, but the vast majority of compost facilities only take organics such as kitchen and yard scraps and uncoated paper.   This is because bioplastics take more heat and more time to breakdown.  As of today, there are less than 60 facilities in the entire USA that will take compostable serviceware.  So, if you’ve purchased compostable serviceware, and no one in your area will compost it, you will need to put it in the landfill anyway. 

1. If bioplastics go into the landfill, they will take as long to break down as conventional plastics, sometimes hundreds of years.  When disposed of in a landfill, bioplastic releases methane as it decomposes.  Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is worse for global warming than burning coal.

1. Compostables cannot be recycled, and recyclable items cannot be composted. The issue is that they often look the same.  It’s imperative to keep the waste streams separated.  You can communicate with vendors, staff, and attendees that they’re not allowed to bring conventional plastic onsite, but since it’s nearly impossible to control, you’ll need someone to diligently go through all the trash, making sure there’s no conventional plastic mixed in with the bioplastic. 

1. Make sure you’re bioplastic products that are truly compostable.   Beware of anything that says biodegradable.  Simply put, if the package says “biodegradable,” this doesn’t mean that the product is compostable.  Remember that greenwashing is a marketing technique to make people believe that their products are greener than they really are.  Something that is considered a “bioplastic” is made up of at least 20% renewable resources.  But what about the rest of it?  There are a lot of “blends” out there that are not compostable or recyclable.

Look for certifications.   

If you decide to go with compostable plastic, make sure that the products are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).  BPI has a 6-step certification process.  As per the BPI website: “The BPI Certification Mark indicates third-party verification of compostability for manufacturers and brand owners to use on products and packaging and for consumers, end-users, and composters to use when determining whether or not a product or package is compostable.  BPI is the only third-party verification of ASTM standards for compostable products in North America.”  

You can purchase BPI Certified Products here.  

Please note that even with the certification, there are mixed results at actual compost facilities due to the wide range of variables and technologies used at each facility. 

Reusables are the most environmental choice when serving food.  That being said, reusables are not always the most practical choice, and may be unrealistic.  When you can’t use reusables, the best alternatives are not bioplastics.  As per Surfrider’s Foundation’s Bioplastic Toolkit, “If you can’t use reusables, the next recommended products are single-use items make from minimally-processed, naturally occurring materials, such as recycled paper-based items, bamboo plate, wooden utensils and straws made completely from paper, hay, pasta, seaweed and bamboo.”  Consider using naturally fallen palm leaf plates, like Dtocs or Natural Tableware, because palm leaf plates are backyard compostable!

Natural Tableware palm leaf plate

Dtocs palm leaf platter

What to learn more?

An easy to read article called Bioplastics - Are They as Good as They Seem? does a terrific job of outlining everything you need to know in order to avoid improper disposal.  We also recommend reading The Truth About Bioplastics. 

Much of the information in this article is taken from B.A.N. List 2.0—An analysis and call-to-action to phase out the most polluting plastic products used in the United States and the Bioplastic Toolkit created by the Surfrider Foundation.