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0 Compostable vs. Recyclable; How Bioplastics Are Misleading:
In the era of the Climate Crisis, many of us are trying our best to limit our consumption of fossil
fuels. But fossil fuels are everywhere: in our clothes (polyester), our food (packaging and
microplastics), and most obviously our packaging. Despite the early 20th century introducing
modern consumption habits without the use of plastic, we have collectively adopted plastic into
our everyday lives. In recent years, partly in good faith and partly to seem eco-conscious, many
businesses have started producing and supplying with biological plastics or bioplastic for short.
This material, usually crafted from common vegetables such as corn or potatoes, has been seen
as a potential short-term solution for the demand of plastics in single-use settings such as at
coffee shops and grocery stores. While this sounds like a promising “solution” to the demand of
fossil fuel plastics, bioplastics are marketed as beyond what their capabilities truly are. At best
this can be simply misleading, and at worst it veers into the territory of Greenwashing. For those
who do not know, a simple way of defining Greenwashing would be; the intentional misleading
of a consumer to purchase a good or service based on the notion that this purchase is either a
positive influence on the environment or a better option than a known negative environmental
influence. In the case of bioplastics, this can come in two forms: labeling the product as
Recyclable, and/or Compostable.
Composting has been highlighted in recent years as a superior option of waste disposal as
opposed to a landfill. For biological material like food products or plant material, composting is
the best option to reuse the refuse for new soil and/or fertilizer. Despite this, bioplastics which
are labeled as “compostable” can give the false notion that use of these materials is more
environmentally friendly. As the prevalence of these materials become more common,
particularly in urban areas, this poses the risk of entering greenwashing territory. Despite being
labeled as compostable or recyclable, in many cases individual municipalities or governments
may or may not allow bioplastics to be recycled or processed by publicly-provided composting
services.
In Toronto, for example, black plastic (bio or otherwise) is not permitted to be recycled
due to the limitations of the city’s recycling capabilities. Beyond this, bioplastics lack the same
qualities as regular plastic, and often need to be recycled in their own stream, which many
municipalities do not have the facilities or money to accommodate. As for composting, bioplastic
lacks the nutrients found in food or garden scraps, and has the potential to acidify the compost
itself and even disrupt the process.
A second major flaw of being labeled as “Compostable” in particular, is exploiting the general public’s lack of understanding in how composting works. Biodegradable is also a misleading term used on these materials. Biodegradable means that a material will eventually decompose, but may take years or longer, while compostable means it fully decomposes in mere months. Many people believe something that is compostable can still
decompose in the garbage or landfill, something that is dangerously false. When something biological ends up in the garbage or landfill, it is unable to biodegrade due to a limited or complete lack of oxygen, leading to incomplete decomposition which releases methane gas. As methane is a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, this has very real negative consequences. Aside from not being able to decompose, single-use bioplastics are not necessarily a major step towards sustainability, as the material is still designed to be used a single time.
So what is the solution? Reusable materials. Single-use anything, plastic or bioplastic, is not the solution for the climate crisis. As many learned as kids, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is actually a hierarchy of importance. Reducing consumption is the first step. If something new is required, reuse it until it cannot be used anymore. The last resort is to recycle. Unfortunately, like how recycling has been the major focus of paper, metal, and glass materials, composting is often the focus for biological material. While composting has numerous benefits, and is perhaps the
best waste stream available at this time, there is still a focus on overconsumption being repaired via “green” waste options like recycling and composting. The problem of bioplastics and other such materials is found in the mindset we as a population uphold; we are not willing to limit our consumption, but find new ways to keep our consumption high with as little environmental damage as possible. This is not nearly as noble as people think it is. The fact of the matter is that as long as we are still finding materials and ways to keep our lifestyles the same, recycling and
composting will not fix the single-use problems we are facing as a society.
Sources:
Zach Winn (2022).Reducing methane emissions at landfills. Retrieved on August 25, 2023 from https://news.mit.edu/2022/loci-methane-emissions-landfills-0202
“Compostable” Plastics = Greenwashing. Retrieved on August 25, 2023 from https://iquitplastics.com/blog/compostable-plastics
Stop Falling for Greenwashing – Biodegradable Vs Compostable . Retrieved on August 25, 2023 from https://wowelifestyle.com/blogs/going-green-tips/stop-falling-for-greenwashing-biodegradable-v
s-compostable
Can Bioplastics Be Recycled. Retrieved on August 25, 2023 from https://biopolylab.com/2020/07/can-bioplastics-be-recycled/
Compostable vs Biodegradable. Retrieved on August 25, 2023 https://www.oceanwatch.org.au/uncategorized/compostable-vs-biodegradable/
https://news.mit.edu/2022/loci-methane-emissions-landfills-0202
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