Wary of Rising Plastic Concerns, Brands Turn to Compostables

Environmental group Beyond Plastics, which advocates for plastic alternatives and a return to reusables instead of single-use plastics, pushes back on the idea that bioplastics can solve the problems created by the plastics industry.

“Bioplastics tend to be another false solution to the plastic pollution crisis,” said Melissa Valliant, communications director at Beyond Plastics. “‘Compostable plastic [products] … end up in the same trash can as the rest of the day’s waste, inevitably ending up in a landfill, an incinerator, or the environment where their end-of-life process is identical to that of their regular plastic counterparts.”

And while brands say that compostable bioplastics can turn into dirt to feed soils, that’s not exactly how it works, said Megan Wolff, policy director at Beyond Plastics.

“Compost derived from these manufactured products will contain all the chemicals present in the products, and a far lower nutritional content than real compost,” Wolff explained. “From a soil health perspective, it is at best empty calories.”