Food Service Waste: What Really Happens to Your Packaging

CuBE • Apr 24, 2019

Consumers are demanding greener packaging, but are compostable and biodegradable products really the answer?

It’s common knowledge that packaging waste is an issue these days, especially when it comes to food packaging used by restaurant operators, grocers and basically any food service business.

While consumers and businesses are growing concerned about the waste they are creating, the demand for ‘fast and convenient’ food also grows. The trend in off-premise eating alone tells this story, where 37%of all restaurant sales in 2018 were consumed elsewhere, like at home or office. This is expected to grow with the popularity of third-party providers such as UberEats. So how do operators get their food in the hands of these customers? It must be packaged somehow, preferably in containers that won’t break, leak or spoil the food during transportation. We’re typically offered a handful of solutions: biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, or reusable packaging. But what do all of these mean exactly, and which is the greenest solution? Let’s explore.

Compostable & Biodegradable

Single use compostable and biodegradable plastics may not be the answer.

These terms are often used interchangeably to describe items that we hope can break down and return to nature. However, they are not the same. Biodegradable means that a product can break down without oxygen within a reasonable amount of time. However, any product—be it a plastic electronic or toxic battery—will eventually break down and some may even leave a toxic residue. Companies often use the ambiguity of the term to green-wash products that may not be so ‘green’.

Composting is a process that works to speed up the natural decay of organic material, according to the USDA. Microorganisms are vital to the composting process and creating an ideal environment for them to thrive is essential — warm temperatures, nutrients, moisture and plenty of oxygen. Landfills don’t typically provide such an environment and home composting won’t reach the 120â—¦F necessary for packaging to breakdown.

PLA (polylactic acid), a ‘plastic-like’ material made from corn, is widely marketed as compostable. In a landfill PLA releases methane , a greenhouse gas that is about 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So let’s suppose that compostable waste is disposed of properly and reaches a commercial composting facility. Chances are that it won’t get composted because most composting facilities in the U.S. accept only yard trimmings and similar organic refuse. This explains why many compostable food service items end up in the landfill, defeating the whole purpose.

In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that labeling a product as ‘biodegradable’ will result in a greater inclination to litterdue to a perceived technical fix that removes responsibility from individuals.

Image credits: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background

Recyclable

Recycling is the process of converting waste into reusable material. It’s a good option for products that cannot be reused or composted; however, it comes with its own carbon footprint and challenges. Not everything that's "recyclable" actually gets recycled. Consumers must dispose of items properly and the infrastructure must be present for collection (which is only available in over half of U.S. cities.). Then recyclers typically need to have a buyer lined up to justify recycling in the first place. It’s a commodity business on a global scalewith many factors that can affect supply and demand.

For whatever items actually make it to a recycling facility, they’ll go through processing that not only consumes energy but emits harmful gases. This can be less than the impact of making virgin material but that is dependent on the item being recycled. Recycling can be a better option than sending your waste to a landfill, but let’s not forget that ‘reduce’ and ‘re-use’ came before ‘recycle’.

Re-using plastic containers is always a good idea.

Re-usable

While all the above options require proper disposal, acceptance by commercial facilities and/or some level of energy-consuming processing, re-using only requires will. According to Portland, Oregon’s Sustainability at Work , “The greenest option is the one that’s used over and over again. Reusable [items] are environmentally better than their throw-away counterparts, even if the throw-away items could be recycled or composted.”

That’s why it’s important to choose durable food packaging that can withstand multiple uses, washes, heating, freezing and whatever else your lifestyle requires. It’s even better if that re-usable product was responsibly manufactured.

Which is the greenest solution?

There is no clear right answer that eliminates one option over the other. There are many factors to consider and we mustn’t shy away from exploring a solution. As manufacturers, we understand our responsibility to our customers, consumers and the environment. We do our best to minimize our footprint throughout the lifecycle of our product. We produce a product that we hope will avoid the landfill altogether and we continually look for partnerships to close the loop on our product’s end-of-life, if and when a consumer decides it’s time.

For more information on our sustainability efforts, visit cubep.com/sustainability.

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