Dear Sam,
My husband buys compostable products (plates, cups, tableware, and bags) instead of plastic because he wants to help the environment. We do not participate in city composting, nor do we have a backyard compost. Does it make sense to spend the extra money on compostable products if we just put them in the regular trash? Also, what should we do with compostable packaging we get at the store and businesses?
Sincerely,
Confused
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Dear Confused,
I applaud your husband’s efforts to reduce the use of plastic to protect our environment. However, if compostable products don’t make it to an organics composting facility, simply switching to compostable single-use items isn’t always beneficial. Not only does it cost more to produce and buy compostable products, but putting them in the trash means that they are sent to an incinerator or a landfill, which may even harm the environment.
Here is some information to hopefully inspire participating in organics recycling at home and new ways to reduce the use of plastic items and protect our environment:
Incinerating Compostables is Bad
- Wasted Potential: In Minneapolis, compostable items put in our trash at home get sent to the HERC incinerator located in the North Loop of Minneapolis. Compostable products are designed to break down into a beneficial soil amendment. When incinerated, this potential is lost, and the energy required to produce the item in the first place—which can be significant—is wasted.
- “Greenwashing” Concerns: Buying compostable products with the intention of throwing them in the trash often leads to “wish-cycling” or feeling justified in creating more waste. If your city does not have an industrial composting program or if you don’t take advantage of the one your city has, the environmental benefit of that product is effectively neutralized.
- Not All “Compostables” Are Equal: Some items labeled “compostable” contain additives like PFAS (aka forever chemicals) or are blended with conventional plastics that do not break down properly even in industrial composters, let alone in an incinerator.
Landfills Prevent Compostable Products from Breaking Down
Landfills are designed for storage and to minimize decomposition, not encourage it.
Here’s why compostable products often fail to degrade in these environments:
- Lack of Oxygen (Anaerobic Conditions): Landfills are tightly compacted to save space, cutting off airflow. Without oxygen, decomposition slows drastically, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas 25 to 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Studies show that even “biodegradable” plastics can remain intact for decades in landfills.
- Low Microbial Activity: Unlike compost piles, landfills lack the right mix of microbes to break down compostable materials. Temperature fluctuations and chemical leaching from other waste further inhibit microbial processes.
- Moisture Barriers and Stabilization: Modern landfills have clay or plastic liners to prevent leachate contamination, which also blocks moisture penetration. Without consistent moisture, compostable products dry out and persist like conventional plastic.
Other Considerations:
- Recycling contamination: You should never put compostable plastics in a recycling bin. They are made from different materials (like cornstarch) and can contaminate the batch, making regular plastic unrecyclable.
- Production impact: Compostable products still require land, water, and energy to produce them, sometimes more than conventional plastic. If they aren’t actually composted at the end of their life, this higher environmental cost of production isn’t offset by a beneficial end product. (source: Why Compostable Packaging Isn’t a Silver Bullet Solution)
In summary, if you do not use a composting program, using compostable products
is not necessarily better—and in some cases, it can be worse—than using regular
plastic.
The Best Approach:
- Check your city’s waste rules: Does your city accept compostable packaging in its organics program? Minneapolis accepts compostable packaging in the city-provided residential organics bins (the green bin). Items must be BPI-certified compostable. Look for the BPI-certified mark on items like takeout containers, cups, bowls, and cutlery. Other acceptable items include greasy pizza boxes, paper bags, and BPI-certified bags.
- Reduce first: In general, using reusable items made out of glass, china, stainless steel, recycled plastic, or other reusable is the best option for reducing the use of plastics.
- Ask for or bring refillable containers to coffee shops and takeout businesses. Reusables can save businesses money – a win-win. Regular paper or cardboard materials may also be an option and are less expensive than bioplastics. Bonus: Leave a helpful comment at the business commending them for having and/or allowing you to bring a reusable container!
- Even if you switch to reusable options, participating in organics recycling is still a great idea! Here is a list of reasons why organics recycling is a net benefit to our environment and our economy. And you may be inspired by this short video highlighting why neighbors across Minneapolis choose to participate. Once you get started, organics recycling really becomes second nature and you can’t believe how much less you are throwing into the regular trash.
I hope this answers your concerns about whether compostables are worth it and the environmental benefits. Sounds like your first step is to talk together about next steps for your home—perhaps it’s signing up for curbside or drop-off organics recycling, or switching over to reusables (or both!). If you live in Minneapolis and have garbage and recycling service through the city, discuss contacting Solid Waste & Recycling to request a green curbside organics recycling bin. There is no additional charge for having a green bin. If you live in a large multi-unit building with private hauling and no organics collection, you can sign up for a free city drop-off site. To sign up for curbside or drop-off organics recycling in Minneapolis, email SWRcustomer@minneapolismn.gov, call 612-673-2917, or sign up online here.
Sustainably,
Sam
Sources:
https://www.moonshotcompost.com/blog/difference-between-compost-vs-landfill
https://www.mncenter.org/common-sense-waste-policies-are-climate-solution-minnesota
https://www.okonrecycling.com/consumer-recycling-initiatives/learn-about-recycling