What Happens to Compostable Items in a Landfill?
In our ongoing efforts to live sustainably, many of us diligently separate our compostable items from regular trash, confident that they will return to the earth as rich soil. However, if certified compostable packaging is not properly collected and processed into compost, it contributes to more waste.
In 2020, despite being promoted as environmentally friendly options in grocery stores, items like certified compostable plastic cups, cutlery, coffee pods, and clamshell containers was banned from most residential organic programs in Canada. Consequently, many of these items end up in landfills, undermining their intended environmental benefits.
What happens when these compostable items end up in landfills instead? Understanding the consequences can help us make more informed choices about our waste disposal habits.
Compost vs. Landfill
Landfills are designed for long-term storage of waste, not for the efficient decomposition of organic material. They are essentially large, lined pits where trash is buried and compacted. Meanwhile, composting, which includes food scraps, yard waste, and compostable packaging, needs specific conditions to break down properly: oxygen, moisture, and the presence of microorganisms. These conditions are meticulously maintained in composting facilities but are not present in landfills.
Compostable items are specifically designed to break down in a compost heap. Certified food-contact compostable packaging can play a crucial role in diverting food waste from landfills, thereby supporting a circular economy. When compostable food packaging filled with food scraps is correctly sent to composting facilities, it prevents the emission of greenhouse gases from decomposing food in landfills. Additionally, both the food and packaging are transformed into nutrient-rich compost.
Composting vs. Landfill: What is the difference?
What happens if compostable packaging ends up in landfills?
Compostable items take much longer to decompose in a landfill because they are trapped between layers of stagnant trash. Due to their compostability, compostable items or packaging require oxygen to break down materials properly, but landfills are typically oxygen-free, airtight environments. Therefore, compostable products like cutlery, straws, or lids that end up in landfills will not break down as intended.
Compostable items made of Solinatra are 100% natural and plant-based, with the same properties as traditional plastic, except without polluting the environment. Food contact products made of Solinatra can be disposed of along with the food scraps, promoting efficient disposal systems.
Solinatra is suitable for both industrial and home composting, so in order to transform Solinatra into valuable sources to grow plants, they must be disposed of in the proper composting facilities. However, if products made of Solinatra enter general waste streams and end up in landfills, they will degrade without releasing harmful pollutants.
Maximise the effectiveness of compostable packaging as a solution
Converting single-use compostable items into biomass through composting offers a significantly more environmentally friendly solution compared to traditional plastic waste management. However, the environmental benefits of compostable packaging will diminish if it ends up in landfills.
For compostable packaging to succeed in today's market, labelling and design must ensure that consumers dispose of packaging correctly and that composters can easily process these materials. Unfortunately, some labels confuse consumers, leading them to mistakenly believe packaging is compostable when it is not or misunderstand how to dispose of it properly.
To tackle this issue, the Composting Consortium, led by the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), conducted a study to test various packaging label and design approaches. The goal was to understand how these factors influence consumer behaviour regarding the disposal of compostable packaging. Key findings from the study include:
Nearly one-third of respondents indicated they would place compostable packaging in the recycling bin.
Up to 50% of respondents would dispose of packaging labelled “made from plants” in the composting bin.
Adding a trusted certification logo and a larger “compostable” label increased the correct identification of compostable packaging by up to 22%.
A comprehensive composting infrastructure is essential to maximising the environmental benefits of compostable packaging. Expanding composting facilities and continuing innovation in compostable product development are critical steps towards a more sustainable future. Brands, manufacturers, or customers can explore Solinatra materials and applications for truly sustainable alternatives to replace plastic.
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