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  Waste Diversion with BPI Certified Disposables

  As a sales/consultant to the foodservice industry, let me say that the bio-based or BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) certified products are a huge growth industry & heres why.
  1. In-house cafeterias of heathcare facilities schools & universities are lowering their solid waste tipping fees by implementing a waste diversion program utilizing bio-compostable plates, cups, containers,cutlery & unbleached dispenser napkins that are made with
  

  • PLA (corn) resin instead of #6 polystyrene
    
  • switch grass, sugar cane stock & talc
    
  • pre-consumer milk carton waste scrap
    
  • post consumer recycled paper
    
  2. These bio-compostable packaging items are then thrown into bins & roll off containers along with compostable food scraps and taken to commercial compost facilites such as the Intervale here in Burlington Vermont. It is processed the most efficient way possible which is commercially. The Intervale profits from this nitrogen-rich compost created by a mix of BPI certified bio-compostables & food scraps. The healthcare facility enjoys a 70% savings on waste disposal costs through this diversion process. The savings pays for the compostable packaging.
     
  3. BPI certified products which adds credibilty and guarantees there will be no contaminates into the compost heap.

  Conclusion: Corn based plastic is only the 1st generation resin used to make some of these products. There will be other biobased resins made with soy bean oil, palm oil, sunflower oil etc.  There are also biobased commercial cleaning products made with these non-petroleum oils to form the base detergent system to a green cleaning product.

  My advise is to leave the composting of these bio-plastics up to the commercial facilities, not your backyard composter. Use reusables at home & when youre in a takeout establishment that uses disposables such as syrofoam (polystyrene) or polyethylene coated paperboard, recommend they look into bio-compostables as an alternative to the petroluem based packaging that are BPI certified as that criteria means the item fully degrades in a commercial composting environment.On Umbra on biodegradable products posted 2 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses