{"id":780,"date":"2012-02-29T16:40:29","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T16:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/?p=780"},"modified":"2012-02-29T16:54:40","modified_gmt":"2012-02-29T16:54:40","slug":"compostable-products-go-straight-to-landfill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/?p=780","title":{"rendered":"Compostable Products Go Straight To Landfill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<h1>In Marin, Many Compostable Materials Go Straight to Landfill<\/h1>\n<p>Despite proliferation of biodegradable foodware, those products aren\u2019t being composted at the two waste management facilities in Marin. As a result, people\u2019s choices might not be as eco-friendly as they think.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>By\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/larkspurcortemadera.patch.com\/users\/jim-welte\">Jim Welte<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/larkspurcortemadera.patch.com\/articles\/in-marin-many-compostable-materials-go-straight-to-landfill#\">Email the author<\/a><\/li>\n<li>February 22, 2012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article_template\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div data-asset=\"{&quot;id&quot;:940725,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;asset_subclass&quot;:&quot;photo&quot;,&quot;asset_type&quot;:&quot;photo&quot;,&quot;thumbnailed&quot;:true,&quot;canonical_type&quot;:&quot;photo&quot;,&quot;urls&quot;:{&quot;thumbnail&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/o3.aolcdn.com\/dims-shared\/dims3\/PATCH\/thumbnail\/117x88\/crop\/88x88+15+0\/http:\/\/hss-prod.hss.aol.com\/hss\/storage\/patch\/921b84cdcd438e20fd86f818fc9c1dcc&quot;,&quot;collapsed&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/o3.aolcdn.com\/dims-shared\/dims3\/PATCH\/resize\/273x203\/http:\/\/hss-prod.hss.aol.com\/hss\/storage\/patch\/921b84cdcd438e20fd86f818fc9c1dcc&quot;,&quot;expanded&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/o3.aolcdn.com\/dims-shared\/dims3\/PATCH\/resize\/600x450\/http:\/\/hss-prod.hss.aol.com\/hss\/storage\/patch\/921b84cdcd438e20fd86f818fc9c1dcc&quot;},&quot;crop_x&quot;:null,&quot;crop_y&quot;:null,&quot;crop_w&quot;:null,&quot;crop_h&quot;:null,&quot;expanded_photo_dimensions&quot;:&quot;600x450&quot;,&quot;crop_dimensions&quot;:&quot;450,450,75,0&quot;,&quot;scale_when&quot;:1.0,&quot;orig&quot;:&quot;88,88&quot;,&quot;dimensions&quot;:&quot;600x450&quot;}\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><a id=\"photo_940725\">\u00a0\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/o3.aolcdn.com\/dims-shared\/dims3\/PATCH\/resize\/273x203\/http:\/\/hss-prod.hss.aol.com\/hss\/storage\/patch\/921b84cdcd438e20fd86f818fc9c1dcc\" alt=\"\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/millvalley.patch.com\/listings\/greenwood-school\">Greenwood School<\/a>\u00a08th\u00a0grader Leyla Spositto and her classmates knew something was amiss just a few weeks into the school year when they saw the trash piling up.<\/p>\n<p>Greenwood administrators had chosen San Ramon, Calif.-based\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.choicelunch.com\/\">Choicelunch<\/a>\u00a0as the school\u2019s new lunch provider largely because nearly all of its packaging was made of compostable materials \u2013 from corn-based bio-plastic cups to potato-based \u201cspudware\u201d forks and spoons \u2013 and therefore would be diverted from the landfill. The move fit with one of the school\u2019s core values of environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n<p>But when Greenwood environmental science teacher Julie Hanft told the students that so-called bio-plastics weren\u2019t being composted in Marin, Greenwood\u2019s 7th and 8th\u00a0graders, who handle the school\u2019s trash as part of their after-school chores, were stunned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of the stuff from Choicelunch was going to the trash,\u201d Spositto said. \u201cWe were very surprised that a system didn\u2019t exist for the packaging to be composted like it was supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So was Greenwood School Director Debra Lambrecht.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were very, very surprised,\u201d Lambrecht said. \u201cAnd the fact that the children were shocked and appalled? We thought, \u2018Well right on.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With lots of packaging that could neither be composted nor recycled &#8211; bio-plastics can\u2019t be recycled like regular plastic \u2013 the students and Hanft arranged to have a large collection of their Choicelunch packaging taken to Recology\u00a0near Candlestick Park in San Francisco, where bio-plastics are composted. But they quickly realized that having a parent or teacher drive a truck across the Golden Gate Bridge weekly wasn\u2019t exactly a sustainable solution.<\/p>\n<p>Greenwood\u2019s students and school administrators found themselves at the crossroads of an issue that all involved say is riddled with complexities. As a result, many Marin residents who think they\u2019re making eco-friendly decisions \u2013 buying only compostable plastic cups for their children\u2019s birthday party, for example \u2013 are sending more garbage to the landfill than if they were using recyclable materials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the big shame about bio-plastics \u2013 people think they\u2019re doing the right thing,\u201d said Jessica Jones, the district manager for Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center in Novato, where most of the trash, recycling and compost from northern and southern Marin is taken.<\/p>\n<p>Jones said Redwood, a subsidiary of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/novato.patch.com\/listings\/waste-management-3\">Waste Management Inc<\/a>., doesn\u2019t compost bio-plastics because the compost the company produces is sold to and used on organic farms. If its compost contained any materials that took longer to biodegrade \u2013 like corn-based foodware or bio bags, for instance \u2013 it could not be certified by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.omri.org\/\">Organic Materials Review Institute<\/a>, the Eugene, Ore., which provides independent review of products to be used in organic farming.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Iavarone, managing director at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.millvalleyrefuse.com\/\">Mill Valley Refuse<\/a>, which sends all of its waste to Redwood, said the inability to compost bio-plastics \u201chas been a continual issue for us\u201d ever since the company rolled out compost service in August 2010.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe makers of these products and food services (like ChoiceLunch) have hung their hat on that,\u201d Iavarone said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good idea that just isn\u2019t delivering as hoped or as advertised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Devi Peri, the education coordinator for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marinsanitary.com\/\">Marin Sanitary Service<\/a>, which serves most of Central Marin, including San Rafael, Larspur, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, Fairfax and the Ross Valley and Las Gallinas sanitary districts, says her company is in the same boat as Redwood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot all compostable plastics are created equal and we don\u2019t even have any way to see if it\u2019s a true biodegradable plastic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>But compostable bio-plastics are accepted by other Bay Area waste companies like Recology, which processes most of its OMRI-certified compost at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jepsonprairieorganics.com\/\">Jepson Prairie Organics<\/a>, a facility in Vacaville.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a clear disconnect between how Recology can compost bio-plastics and how we can\u2019t,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<p>The difference, according to OMRO Program Director Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador, is that Recology has an extensive \u201cforeign removal program.\u201d That program, essentially a filtering system, calls for manual removal of any all bio-plastic products not clearly labeled compostable.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.calrecycle.ca.gov\/Plastics\/Degradables\/Public.htm\">Under California law<\/a>, products labeled compostable must meet the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bpiworld.org\/\">Biodegradable Products Institute<\/a>\u2019s ASTM D6400 standards, which \u201cdetermine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny compost may become contaminated with compostable plastics, but if the program has a reasonably robust foreign removal program, that satisfies OMRI\u2019s requirements,\u201d Fernandez-Salvador said.<\/p>\n<p>A foreign removal program means that bio-plastics that aren\u2019t labeled clearly or don\u2019t meet the standards either end up in a separate compost stream of only products that will degrade at a slower rate than food scraps or yard waste \u2013 or they\u2019re tossed into the landfill.<\/p>\n<p>Peri said there is some industry skepticism about how much bio-plastic material is actually ending up in the compost streams at places like Recology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a feeling that it might be more (going to the landfill) than people might want to hear,\u201d Peri said. \u201cAnd maybe more than they are reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jack Macy, the Zero Waste Coordinator for the city of San Francisco, acknowledged that some \u201ccompostable stuff that is not labeled well ends up in the landfill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the reason that we accept compostable bags and compostable foodware is that it allows us to capture more of the organics that we\u2019re trying to divert from the landfill,\u201d Macy added. \u201cEvery composter would prefer not to take that stuff because of the challenges of identification and the breaking down aspect. It\u2019s easier to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the choice Redwood has made, which spurred Greenwood\u2019s 7th and 8th\u00a0graders to take on the issue as a community action project. The students researched other options, spoke with potential vendors and made a presentation to Lambrecht right before the holiday break. The school intends to move to a completely independent lunch system next year, with an in-house chef making lunches dispensed with reusable plates and utensils. The move is one that only schools as small as Greenwood, with just 127 students, can afford to make.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, Greenwood administrators have decided to dump Choicelunch and explore alternative options for the rest of this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is very disappointing,\u201d said Karen Heller, the director of business development for Choicelunch, whose company supplies lunches for more than a dozen schools in Marin, including the Mill Valley and Ross Valley school districts. \u201cBut it hinges on the waste management company. Our hands are kind of tied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For two days a week, the school\u2019s 8th\u00a0graders will be selling lunch from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/millvalley.patch.com\/listings\/grillys-restaurant\">Grilly\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/millvalley.patch.com\/listings\/tamalpie-pizzeria\">Tamalpie Pizzeria<\/a>\u00a0(one day apiece) to raise money for their 10-day spring trip. Lambrecht hopes to have a new deal in place in the coming days for the other days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve really felt like we\u2019ve accomplished something,\u201d Spositto said of the student&#8217;s campaign. \u201cWe\u2019re glad we had the authority to make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Marin, Many Compostable Materials Go Straight to Landfill Despite proliferation of biodegradable foodware, those products aren\u2019t being composted at the two waste management facilities in Marin. As a result, people\u2019s choices might not be as eco-friendly as they think. By\u00a0Jim Welte Email the author February 22, 2012 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Greenwood School\u00a08th\u00a0grader Leyla Spositto and her [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[737,356,736,803,738],"tags":[194,1466,46,75,310,157,29,30,79,32,13,418],"class_list":["post-780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodegradation-2","category-bioplastic","category-environmental-news","category-green-living","category-green-marketing-2","tag-biodegradable-plastic","tag-bioplastic","tag-design","tag-earth-friendly","tag-earth-friendly-plastics","tag-enso-biodegradable-and-recyclable-plastic","tag-enso-biodegradable-bottle","tag-enso-biodegradable-bottles","tag-enso-biodegradable-plastics","tag-enso-plastic","tag-enso-plastics","tag-plastic-bags"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=780"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":793,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ensoplastics.com\/theblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}