Why Composting Sites Are Banning Compostable Plastics | One Small Step | NowThis Earth
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2024
- Single use items like straws, cups, and cutlery are being labeled as 'compostable' - but the truth is a bit more complicated.
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Single-use items that are called 'compostable' aren't necessarily good for the environment. So is compostable plastic a lie?
Some of these products can actually be toxic. Some have a higher environmental impact than the non-compostable equivalent. And compostable plastic can't be recycled.
You can't say that all compostable packaging is good OR bad. But using them could create a whole new host of problems without solving the initial problem of ocean plastic pollution.
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5:29
For those who are more familiar with Celsius, 122F is 50C.
NowThisEarth channel, please also consider adding C temperatures since your audience reach is worldwide, thank you.
This satisfied me very well, thank you fellow common sense guy!
Agreed!
Fahrenheit is absurd and only used by two countries 😑
Just learn both systems like us Americans do. F is good for bio relevant applications like composting because it is bounded by the "freezing point" of seawater at one end and "body temperature" at the other. Kelvin is convenient for physics, and C is good for green chemistry due to its relevance to water.
@@benjaminhawkins6386 even the nasa uses metric why should we learn another system instead of abandon the worse one?
@@PhillipAmthor The metric system as it stands is not perfect. One of its major failings is that it's base 10. If we were truly serious about catalyzing scientific advancement with our measuring system we would use a base 12 measuring system and base everything off of the properties of a fundamental particle e.g. the election (rather than on the condensed matter measuring system in which metric is based). Furthermore, I acknowledge that the current metric system is useful in certain domains. In the end, the units can be converted freely and with relative ease. Your personal preference of measuring system ought not be imposed on other people.
Why aren’t companies being held liable for greenwashing their products like this? 🤨
I think it’s super messed up that we even need an organization like BPI to verify if something is truly compostable in the first place! 🤦🏾♀️
THIS is why we need more regulation on companies & the way they market their products! 👍🏾
When a fruit 🍎 is marketed as organic, it should be organic! If a toy 🧸 says non-toxic, it should be non-toxic! We also need to properly define words like, “green”, “eco friendly”, & “all natural” so there is no 🙅🏾♀️ confusion, & a clear understanding of what those words mean when companies use them on their products! 🧐
But I swear... if I see another company use the words “chemical free” I’m gonna loose it!!! 🤬
It’s like, do they not know the definition of the word chemical?!?! 🤨
Jesus Christ! WATER IS A CHEMICAL!!!
SMH! 🤦🏾♀️
Companies are buying the right to pollute. You can talk to the public officials they are buying, if you can catch them.
If I gave you $2000 a week, Could I put some latex paint in your trash? Just a few cans. How about $10,000 a month? Yep that is what low paid government workers hear. Hmmm. V O T E
Do you know who is the board member of BPI? Most of the board members are the compostable materials supplier. Do you think they will tell you the truth?
✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊✊
Yes!!! Speak Up & Speak Out!!! Tell The Truth & VOTE REAL CHANGE!!!
I think another way to look at this is how our perfectionism will actually hurt the result.
Industries like this take A LONG TIME to get it right, just look at the electric car, still a long way from being the perfectly sustainable vehicle.
BUT
We ignore that it takes little steps over a period of time to get it right. By demanding companies get it right from the start then we may actual hurt the progress all together.
Keep voting with your wallet, buying green puts more investment into that market.
I compost in small scale and occasionally I test disposables labeled as "biodegradable". The only ones that composted really fast (4 weeks) were the ones made of the avocado seed.
If I need some then I'll get those then. I only just started composting at home, thanks for sharing!
Good to know. Thanks!
Hi! Love hearing this :-) Do you have any specific products you recommend?
Sounds similar to Flushable Wipes and the nightmare they cause for sanitation workers.
Yes!
The premise of flushable wipes was always flawed. In order to be a wipe, it has to remain stable while saturated. It order to be flushable, it has to physically break down when it gets moist.
Don't get me started on those darn wipes! I'm a janitor, and I had an account where they wanted me to use lysol wipes, but I always threw them away (after I found out that they clog pipes, etc) BUT the women in that building would regularly use "feminine wipes" and flush them...fastforward 2 years later when their plumbing backed up, and the plumber had to pull out a mass of dirty wipes, guess who got blamed??? THIS GUY 🤦♂️
@@gabrielpatten6939 Wtf are "feminine wipes?" You mean menstrual pads? Tampons?
@@Selestrielle Just another name for the flushable wipes, expect formulated for use on your front.
You keep saying 'confusing' but what I think we're all thinking is 'infuriating', that companies can keep rushing something out without ensuring it is designed with thorough thought, integrity & in appropriate balance with the infrastructure around it. A good idea doesn't thrive in a mismanaged world.
Why is there this assumption that all companies that are putting out compostable packaging are doing so without thorough thought?
My personal "compostable plastic" pet peeve is when there aren't separated trash bins. #1 sign of a restaurant greenwashing for me.
yes! When restaurants have compostables, but no compost bin... soo frustrating
@@lucylyonsbiggers Why is it frustrating? The point is it biodegrades faster. There is no reason it needs it's own bin. It's supposed to be a more eco friendly alternative. Which is largely pointless in the first place in the West but hey people like you fall for it.
it not the same...
@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep First, some packaging will say "compostable in industrial facilities" ie they need a certain environment that isn't a trash heap to break down properly. Second, when compostables do break down in a trash heap they release methane gas as they break down because it is anaerobic (no oxygen). In a composting facility methane gas isn't produced because is is aerobic (oxogyn is present). A bonus from composting is we can use the compost to add back nutrients taken from the soil to keep growing productive crops! Whereas the compostables sent to break down in the trash heap will stay in the trash heap.
I hope that explains where someone trying to use their spending to encourage a more circular economy might be frustrated :)
While I am not sure what you were referring to when you mentioned the west, I actually live in the mid northwest! But composting is for everywhere
THANK YOU! My #1 beef with compostable cutlery etc is MANY facilities use them with no compost disposal. I understand not all have access to industrial composting but if this is the case, JUST USE PLASTIC AND RECYCLE. Recycling is way more accessible than composting. Recycling plastic is more eco friendly then trashing compostibles. Until the infrastructure exists, mass distribution of compostible products is a problem.
My Answer: Mushroom, Hemp, Bambo based packaging and utensils.
There you go. Great solution.
Surely cardboard is fine for most things?
@@mattmorgan2525 ofcourse it's reasonable to ship strawberries in cardboard, it's not like it'll mold a few hours later. Besides won't that lead to very extreme deforestation on top of what we already have?
usually they are using some sort of glue and plastic to protect the bamboo to get soaked by the liquid. So they are no bio degradable and they are not recycleble as they contain different materials which cannot be separated. also paperbags are usually modified chemically to be stronger and to hold all that stuff inside. and you have to look where the materials are from. is the harvesting sustainable? so the best way is reduce and reuse and not looking for something new which creates new problems without solving any old problem.
my answer to that: bring your own containers and cutlery. there are many companies that produce reusable standard small/medium/large takeaway containers made of metal and wood these days
In the Netherlands everybody has access to industrial composting sites, where these products can be composted. Every week the city collects compostable waste at every single household. It also says so on the package that it cannot be composted at home.
I think it is a good substitution for plastic in the sense of health concerns of microplastics for both land and sea creatures. However, your video a good reminder that REDUCE and REUSE always takes precedence over RECYCLE.
That sounds amazing! What happens to the compost made there? Resold?
@@shidoink depends on the city. Where online they have a yearly every citizen of the town can get a certain amount of compost for free. The rest is sold to keep the recycling and trash collection affordable
thanks for highlighting this @mandarintomato9205 same happens in India
Single use "biodegradable" creates a false sense of security.
Just carry your own pack of reusable cutlery. Single use is so wasteful and irresponsible unless direly necessary (i.e. medical usage).
titanium and fiber glass is good for utensils. I prefer titanium. But fiber glass is very good imo.
@MsBizzyGurl that is not limited to titanium.... all sporks can be used as weapons
Please check your local regulations. California's Department of Public Health currently prohibit consumers from bringing their own utensils or packaging inside food service locations in most counties because they claim it "increases the transmission risk for COVID-19." Restaurants are also currently required by CDPH to serve all food in single use disposable containers. Might be better to stay safe and stay home.
@@johnmiller8884 they sell pesticide residue covered food yet they claim to be the safe source for food. hysterical
@@johnmiller8884 and thats why regulation is so bad, cali has gone down the toilet because of big gov, it would be better for people to just govern themselves, like us conservatives and libertarians keep saying.
When I was a kid, I was told all the time by more than just my parents, that plastic did not biodegrade. Spoons, forks, bags, none of it broke down in the environment. So, for me, thinking I could use plastic in a compost pile is ridiculous. You recycle plastic. At least, you're supposed to. Some plastics can be recycled. Some cannot. Bags can be chopped up and made in to new ones. But you can't take bags to my local recycling center. They won't take them. But you can take them to some grocery stores where they will be shredded (not all stores want them.) All P.E.T. plastics are recyclable. But is the blue Downey bottle the same as a two-liter bottle? You got me. I wish the information about plastics were more readily available to the public. I don't want to live on a world like I saw in Disney's WALL-E.
You bring up so many of the same issues I think about! I’m currently researching an episode on the issues with recycling, stay tuned!
@@lucylyonsbiggers I look forward to the answers. o7
@@SimonWoodburyForget Agreed. This is why the plastic products have the recycle symbol with a NUMBER in the center. That label specifies the recyclability of that particular plastic.
IDK why we can't just melt it all down into a compressed mass to keep it out of the sea, tho.
I like the phrase "corporate greenwashing" to describe this kind of thing. They cover up the problem by making consumers think the products can be recycled or composted.
Just like certain stores charge a dime per bag, fast food needs to charge that for say a straw or fork. Make it a routine to ask would you like a straw or utensils with that, and then add it on as an item of purchase. That might reduce it in the states...maybe.
Good idea. Even with delivery of food- with covid a good chunk of people are ordering to eat it at home. Where we have cutlery. Even if I write a note to say no need for cutlery, I still end up getting it which really frustrates me. Need to change how people think, starting from consumers but also businesses
Because making utensils and straws available only to those that can afford it, will clearly make things better.
or just change the packaging so you don't need a straw. that's a little more practical. not sure if charging changes customer behavior enough. the rule with getting ppl to be more conscious (if they're not concerned with these things) is to make it super easy so its normalized. in other words, introduce it the same way u do the harmful behavior
I try not to get more of the stupid things. I wash what I have and reuse it, such as keeping a clean set in your bug out bag in your car, or with disaster supplies. When you are cleaning up after a hurricane, you usually don't have time to wash dishes on top of all the other stuff. But really, it shouldn't be made any longer. We'll adjust.
@@kapwns of they can afford the food in sure they caw afford the straw. And if a place insists on having it free for that reason use wood instead of plastics. Wood is biodegradable. Plastic isn't.
Thank you! This was a huge issue for my campus' compost program!
Is there Good compostable utensils?
Wow this is new. I'm an environmental engineer and right when I thought I was doing something good for my company, this appears.
Thank you for opening my eyes and exposing this!
What do environmental engineers do? I need a career change, I'm literally losing my mind in my current field...
Why no industrial composting? Doing it at home always requires sieving and putting some material through twice
I love America where things that are marketed as “compostable” and aren’t...great job consumer protection.
I’m a Boy Scout and I run a composter in my local town and when someone puts a “compostable plastic item” I hate it because it takes up 4x longer to compost and sometimes it never does!
I wonder how much Big Oil is behind this “Compostable” plastic...
You can make compostable plastic from oil so probably a fair bit? They are clearly starting to follow the demands as several of them are investing into biofuel production
Most compostable plastic is polylactide, which is ethanol derived. Ingeo, the company that perfected modern PLA, is mostly behind the push. They're not associated with oil companies, as they do not need petroleum to make most of their products. Businesses don't have to be in the oil industry to be evil.
Actually big oil hates compostable plastic and recently tried to lobby the EU to pass a bill banning it. They know if the technology is perfected, it will hurt their profits a lot.
I remember dropping off stuff at a local commercial compost field. Everything in the piles had broken down to lush, thick dirt- except for all the ‘compostable’ silverware. It was weird walking around hills of soil with forks sticking out of them all over, like needles on cacti. 🌵
I have actually put these in my compost. When I have gone to use my compost, I have had to pull these out of the soil I generated and put them in the next batch. It has taken over 2 years for any visible signs of decomp.
yep! and you dont know what theyre breaking down into
maybe it can be instantly composted by making biochar, but idk
Thank you...! Sad, but I was getting comfortable with the 'compostable' label. This is another reminder to question buzzwords like 'compostable.'
Grocery stores are full of empty cardboard boxes by the produce. I always walk directly to the produce section, grab a cardboard box and make that my grocery bag. They are everywhere, we just don’t notice it.
My grandmother does that all the time. And I never really noticed it.
Actually at aldis they do that. Aldi is a store.
My local grocery store keeps some boxes stacked at the register for heavy items and when people don't want to buy a shopping bag.
Thank you Lucy. I am a vertical farmer and I package my microgreens in compostable plastic. I am review ing alternatives, but am not finding many that hold up to moisture and those that do, come with plastic lids. This vid is a good reminder for me to keep up my search for a viable alternative.
Thank you for making this video! I unsuccessfully tried to compost some of these products at home, and I've been curious. I appreciate you researching this for us.
I dont think ive ever heard this word in an americn accent and thr fact that thr post part is pronounced the same as it would in "post office" is bothering me in a way i wouldnt have expected.
How do you pronounce the "post" in compostable? Just curious. :)
How do you pronounce it?
Ah you're not alone. It really made me cringe.
@@2006craig How do you pronounce it?
Idk about op, but I pronounce it like the o in pots (I am aussie however) so its more of a British o sound rather than the American o sound
Thanks for going out and doing the work to interview. People don't realize how much education it takes to properly compost. Too hot will offgas nitrogen and carbon into atmosphere, too cold makes poor compost. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for this video! I volunteer with a few locally based food justice orgs and I've been meaning to question our source of serving utensils. The person who purchases them typically tries to get as much compostable material as possible, but I worry that they are wasting money on them as most of these products are then handed off to people who don't have access to composting and they get treated just as any noncompostables would. Will absolutely be forwarding this
Been messing with the composting bags in my backyard bin- for sure need heat- they didn't break down until the mix got to a ratio to make a lot of heat (which took the spring grass grow for enough greens). But once that happened- they totally broke down. Pretty cool.
I run an industrial compost yard for colleges and such. It is a nightmare with this type of food waste, super big mess as well but it will eventually break down.
this was so informative !!! i had no idea that it was creating a new array of problems that we do not need :/
Thanks for this topic.....it's amazing how much I don't know about recycling. You think we had created a solution for the plastic fork, plate,or take out containers. I love this topic and would love more on recycling and composting.
The 'environmental impact' of sugarcane-/wheat-/soy-based bio plastics will never go away. Something will always need to be harvested.
Another misleading type is Oxo degradable plastic.... it's not biodegradable! It degrades yes......but into microplastics lol. However it markets itself as compostable "made of starch" but is a blend of traditional plastic and starch.
Thank you for posting this! This is really helpful. 💗
Have you heard of cassava-based bioplastics? It's #1 choice in southeast Asia.
And from what I know, cassava planting is far, far better than sugarcane/wheat/corn-based bio plastics especially since monoculture (what sugarcane, corn, and wheat really are - in that you can only grow just 1 plant & thats it, over-simplifying here of course) is counter-productive for cassava. Cassava needs crossplanting (planting together with other crops).
So I do think informations like this video, do more harm than good in that it creates the need for perfection and the fear of "many bioplastics are bad". Perfection is the enemy of the good cause, seriously. Not contending with any info here, but unfortunately ppl will only look for headlines these days. It may shut down innovative products like what I just said.
In my region, crops that are used for biofuel or bioplastics receive more pesticide treatments than those for human and animal consumption. This creates more local pollution due to pesticides and less workable land for food. Normally it would be uneconomical, though, to produce biofuel from an entire crop. Since there are incentives for these kind of production, though, it has a better profit margin than normal crops, with less hassle too (more pesticides so less illnesses, no need for food-safe storage, humidity is not an issue anymore, ...). A lot of farmers have converted to that, so now we have to import grains (corn in particular) instead of using the locally grown one.
Cool video! Thanks for the info. I struggled so hard to deal with these compostable plastics in my home pile which gets pretty hot and has done a great job with the other stuff. Another Eco product from a society addicted to the problem.
Thanks for the video, this came out exactly when I needed it. :) The best option for now seems to be using standard re-usable materials like metals, glass, and woods.
We NEED to acknowledge Lucy as not only a information giver but as an Incredible interviewer!!!!
There is a company the final straw.
They have the obvious...straws...but also a spork it folds up to such a small compact size, put in your purse, bookbag, whatever and it's amazing just wash and boom
I just purchased a travel size foldable metal fork and spoon. This with my cloth tote and metal straw are my weapons against single use plastic.
Oh cool! Where’d you get them? :0
@@malimillions Japanese dollar store called Daiso but I’m sure they exist in many other places
Great content will be following you,
I am an Urban area here in the Philippines, I'm composting most of my food/kitchen, i am composting about 20L or 10-12kg of waste every week.
Well that was enlightening, depressing, and helpful. Thank you for all the research you do.
So much to research here in Brasil. Tks for the topic! If you could, I have a suggestion for another topic: I'd like to know more about sustainable burial and cremation. I know that we have metals in our bodies, clothes and coffins that are really bad for the environment.
OK, acho que posso ajudar com isso. O canal Ask a Mortician é super bom. Se explorares o canal, para além de falar sobre tragédias e corpos famosos, fala também sobre vários tipos de enterro e funerais, tratamento do cadáver, coisas como cremações ou cremação química. Tudo o que tenha a ver com a morte, cadáveres, luto, ritos funerários, ela fala. É em inglês, claro, mas super recomendo.
Hi Lucy, I found your video very helpful, I am the grounds man at an all girls boarding school in New Zealand, we are in the process of changing all our cups plates and so on too compostable items, we have a group of year 13 girls involved in helping with this. I operate an aerobic compost which reaches between 50 to 70 deg Celsius, and am looking forward to the process starting in a couple of weeks :)
I stumbled across this video and had to watch, which i'm glad I did, A friend handed me some new straws, which I replied, I wash and re use mine. he said these are compostable and are good for the earth because they break down. Now I have more knowledge. I am planning some experiments to try and speed up the process. it's good to know that temperature is a factor. Thanks.
This is really great information! Thank You!!! When we KNOW BETTER, we can CHOOSE TO DO BETTER 💗
Ase Namaste Amen
💗💞💗💞💗💞💗💞💗💞💗
Great Video Lucy. I like the content and the delivery. In your research did you ask about using Industrial Hemp to make plastic. I would assume it is similar to corn or sugarcane but I could be wrong. Also, it supposedly is carbon negative and uses less pesticides, fertilizers and water. Would love to hear your thoughts.
I tried adding compostable plastic wrap to my vermicompost, and they didn’t touch it at all.
Thanks L.B. for creating this type of content. Our Planet appreciates You! 🌎❤👊
I've tested some in my own home bins.... so far biobag did break down in a little more than 6 months (looks like it can hold on longer if kept on top as a way to diminish evaporation) and a straw from the brand greenprint split lengthwise after 6 months but has yet to make further progress.
Thank you for solving this mystery! It was bothering me what compostable plastics were made up of?
Great video, thanks! Any word on use of these BPI compostable plastics in vermi-composting? I was wondering if I could grind them up with my egg shells, pistachio shells, and other hard organic materials to add to my worm bins.
That sounds like a terrible idea to me. These plastics only begin to break down when they are ground down and subjected to hot thermophilic composting. The worms and associated microbes that work in vermicompost don’t eat or break down those plastic materials
@@matthewgoetter3127 Thanks!
Please do a video on how compostable plastic reacts in landfills. Thank you, great video!
Thanks for the clarity.
BTW, thanks Oregon DEQ. Coming through for us and the environment once again.
Interesting... our city (Seattle) only allows compostable items for take-out (though during the lockdown, I've noticed it's become more of a suggestion and not a rule) and straws are compostable. Even the green ones at Starbucks. We also have to request the items if we do take out or delivery and straws have to be requested as well, even dining in (when that was a thing we could do). The city has weekly home compost pickup... in fact our trash bins are tiny and our compost and recycle bins are huge. I wonder, now, if they're able to actually use the bio-plastic items... I will need to check with the city, so thanks for this!
This video is very in lighting. Thank you. I thought I was buying the correct product. Looks like you can't even find them on BPI.
Umm... carry a set of reusable metal utensils in your purse or glove box. They literally last generation and are only made once. Reuse people. In theory, your great great grandchildren could be using the same utensils 100 years from now without the reoccurring impact of recycling.
When I moved out I took silverware from my mom because she had way too much. She pitched a fit that they were old and didn't match, she really wanted me to buy new. 10 years on I'm still using that same silverware along with a few thrifting additions. Who knows how many people could use that silverware before it is actually "worn out".
How about the restaurant offering reusible metal cutlery, which you'd return to them after your meal?
We honestly need to go back to returnable glass containers for food sales especially liquids.
Thank you! This was very good and useful information. I learned something helpful. The world needs this type of information.
It is. It's a Biopolymer made from Chitosan. It doesn't degrade easily but it's probably one of the best elements you can end up with in your compost.
Lucy,
Can you do a break-down on what those compostable plastics eventually turn into?
I'd like to know what those various plastics are made from and how composting effects them. (From 3D-Printing, I know that certain printing filaments are actually made from starch, which means they break down over time.)
I have a compost-tumbler in my back yard, so I want to know: IF I compost one of these compostable plastic forks in my bin, what becomes of this plastic? How does composting change the plastic? Does it simply crumble into smaller bits of plastic? AM I putting micro-plastics into my soil, if I use this compost? OR does it actually BIO-degrade into food bioproducts that the soil microbiome can digest and break down completely.
Ultimately, is this harmful in my garden soil, or is it actually (eventually) going to become organic soil?
I'd like to see another video about this, actually.
Would you, please?
I find it amazing that when I buy take out food, I specifically have to ask that they DO NOT put utensils in the order (which is obviously meant to be eaten at home). It's cheaper for the restaurant if they don't, so unfortunately they've been made accustomed to the few customers who don't have utensils, even though it is worse for the majority of people, including their own company.
It's amazing (infuriating) that a material with incredible, groundbreaking properties for longevity and structural integrity is used for products meant to be used once, and not really abused in that one usage, and then thrown away. It should be illegal to design and produce non-recyclable, non-reusable or non-biodegradable parts for products with an anticipated usage of less than I don't know 50 years? And if they are recyclable/reusable, the company that produced the product should also have prepaid postage that sends your item to the appropriate recycling/repurposing plant. If it's not recyclable, chances are high it's reusable (especially when it comes to polymers) and companies should have a means of recollecting their single-use plastics or face legal repercussions. This doesn't have to raise the cost of those products but if it does, it can surely only be by 5-30 dollars and if thats the cost of sustainability and cleaner oceans/seafood, it's truly a low price to have to pay.
I am looking to source a small plastic film/bag packaging for a product that I produce. Would like the material to be clear, so the consumer can see the contents. What would be the best type of bioplastic to used that would break naturally?
I did some research and am having trouble finding a clear solution to this.
Thank you for this!
I really hope good answers can be found. Banning single use plastics may be a good step forward for the environment, but disabled people having plastic bendable straws taken away when the vast majority of ocean pollution is made up of fishing nets is just placing blame where it doesn't belong.
Wow didn't know this. Thanks for sharing.
What about corn/plant based packaging made from corn starch, PBAT,& PLA?
thanks i did learn something! very helpful, thx
I'd be curious to see the video about how these compostable plastics act in a dump.
This is so frustrating and exhausting. We are all trying so hard to save the environment and ourselves and these corporate grifters preying on us are acting like the Paul Riser charcter in 'Aliens' while we get battle fatigue caring more about their childrens future than they do.
Thank you for this! I would have never known!
All that being said, we are still dealing with external effects of plastic products. Means, that governments need to take action to tackle this issue, by categorizing products and taxing or banning them, accordingly to the amount of damage they do.
no mention of re-usable or at least recyclable products... this is the main problem imo
Super informational video. Thank you. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.
Wow, you helped increase my understanding!
Generally, I like this video.
1. Check if they are made from byproducts - in Australia, sugar cane “plastic” is by product. Same as E10 petrol.
2. In some areas in Australia, they are doing kerbside pick up for organics/compostable materials which go to industrial composting facilities - but this then creates a stink issue.
Americans, including this girl, are the only people labeling these as 'single use', which caused the plastic problem to begin with. These plastic items can be easily washed and reused for indefinite amount of times.
They’re not the same. I have reusable plastic forks and they do not get brittle and gross after a few washes. Plus the way they make disposable forks they always have nooks and crannies that you can never get fully clean. They’re call single use because they aren’t made with any heat resisting or other properties to make them last through regular use. Same reason you can’t reuse bottled water bottles indefinitely, they leech poisons
@@gia9551 Congratulations, you have been brained washed by information lacking scientific evidence.
If you are talking about washing them in dishwashers, then that is still your problem. If I got plastic silverwares, then I just wash it by hand. Are you not capable of doing that, because you are so lazy?
@@gia9551 I will give you a more up to date example actually happened at my work:
We removed all the plastic utensils due to COVID. Customers can ask for utensils from our customer service. A couple came up after buying some food and the wife asked for utensils. The husband goes "We are going home", implying not needing plastic utensils.
People don't care enough. Most people still want what is convenient.
Then why use plastic at all? You could just use regular utensils
Many Americans reuse plastic cutlery and containers🙄
Excellent topic, we all need to be aware of all the facts. I don't understand why people like to eat their food using plastic utensils, perhaps it's just habit but imho it's far nicer to eat with metal or wooden, or even ceramic or 'biscuit spoons' .
Hi Lucy I know how much you love composting... Because I watch all of your videos.. I wish you would have covered cardboard utensils ... wooden spoons and fork... I seen cardboard straw at one of the fast food chain and it made me wonder is it really a cardboard or something that looks like cardboard
There were so many angles to take this video and I had to narrow it down! What you mention is something I will definitely consider covering in the future
To a plastic manufacturer, the word “compostable” just means that when it breaks down it can be mixed in with soil to become invisible.
That's biodegradable tho, not compostable
‘Biodegradable’ is simply a process to achieve what Z4RQUON said. It is the ‘breaks down’ component of his statement.
The important part is invisibility. I believe he is bitter and justly angry that this is further expression of profits before conscience.
I have reused "compostable" utensils multiple times, washing them by hand just like regular ones without their breaking down. I plan to reuse them until they disintegrate. By the way, I don't intentionally buy them; they are what I get when I order takeout. (Yes, I need to tell them not to include forks with my order.)
I’m so fricking glad I watched this. I’ll definitely be changing some of the brands I buy
Really well researched video 👌
I think in general it's better to reduce the amount of packaging you use. Buy used white goods and try to re-use items as long as possible.
I am 71, we are using my grandparents' stainless steel utensils. We never had fine china. In 1972, when we married, we asked for Corelle and stainless only.
Our dishes, pots and pans, and silverware are still here. Tina
Kyline Sanchez is absolute Wife Goals, OMG 😲
Love this channel for showing actual Intelligent people who are trying thier best to do good things without going insane with Politics. I love this term "Green Washing" as well.
I adore my solar power system here on my organic farm but I know how horrific solar manufacturing is for the environment. Same with the thousands of Wind Turbines all around us here on the Missouri/Iowa border. :( We get constant brown-outs when the windmills have to be shutdown n switched over to the coal plants. My little solar setup saves our butts in the long winter blackouts and when summer storms/tornadoes take out power lines n windmills o.o
I’ve had a huge mental block on throwing away fabric for the longest time and I have accumulated so many old dingy clothes and holey socks that can’t be donated. But at least I know the mental block was there for a reason
very thorough. Thank you!
Wow thank you. I use these as I hate dish washing. I will have to stop.
Would you mind to be less lazy? We have one planet
@@azimmermanm You are right. I have a muscle condition so any movement is painful. But I will do my best to wash and use regular dishes, thank you (not sarcastic).
@@Lommy9999 Hello Lommy.
I had no idea about your condition, and I want to make an apology.
There are too many cases of people just being lazy, that sometimes I forget that there are people that actually need it.
Have a great day
@@azimmermanm Thank you 🙏🏻 you too. You couldn't have known.
Partial solution: encourage the masses to carry their own utensils/cutlery to food service establishments... Plates, bowls, cups -- paper.
I pack my own utensils when I go out. It’s a little thing to carry around but makes a huge impact.
So I always saw it as meaning it breaks down faster then plastics when rotting in a dump
It’s insane that you have to go to a farmers market to compost.
In most cities in Finland apartment houses are required to have recycling bins for plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, metal and trash. The trash is burnt while keeping the dangerous gases out of the environment and the heat is used to warm the water for the city and make electricity.
I think the rules for weather or not something is labeled as compostable is different here in Australia. For something I be compostable it has to be able to break down in a backyard compost within a number of months. “Industrial composting” sounds more like the biodegradable definition, where the plastics can breakdown but require a specific environment. Then again, I’ve never heard of industrial composing in Australia, sounds like a good concept
To make this even more complicated the biodegradability of the product is not really directly related to the source material. There are also biodegradable plastics being made from oil and non-degradable plastics being made from sugarcane. If disposed of properly (and a more efficient production process), there is therefore a chance of non-degradable plastics being used as a carbon sink to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
This is really disheartening. I feel like all the visible strides being made aren’t even helping. And that is when the vast majority of Americans don’t even HAVE recycling and composting programs in their jurisdictions. So this just makes me feel that even the small percentage of us who actually are really trying are still barely having any effect. I’ve always known that my own environmental footprint and my attempt to lessen it is only a drop in a worldwide bucket, and have been able to live with that. Hearing this makes me discouraged thinking that if all these companies who are trying to help aren’t even going in the right direction and it’s for nothing. Essentially, I’m feeling that my drop is even less significant. It’s a really hopeless and helpless feeling for our ailing planet.
I used to have a pocket knife with a spoon and fork among other survival related items built into it... Until I found out the hard way, it was a felony to possess a bulky hard to use, metal knife.
Nowadays people sell them minus the knife for travelling. They're common here in Indonesia, between my friends at least. How about at your place?
@@nanwijanarko1969 Mostly it feels like we are being forced to handheld fast foods, such as tacos, hamburgers, pizza, ect..
Fewer and fewer needs, and with the restaurant restriction on indoor dining, the need is reduced as well.
Of the restaurant places that hand them out, ... they use non-recyclable, non-compostable, and double wrapped in extra plastic.
yep it is makes no sense
Great and informative video, thanks! We just need to stop using single use plastics.
should also be noted that compostable plastics cannot be recycled, and some recycling pickup will toss entire bins full of recyclables in the landfill because of contamination like compostable plastic cups.
Thankyou. I had no idea.
This is engaging! I sure hope the algorithm gives me more videos like this
The EU banned single-use plastics from 2021 on and most businesses already stopped using them. I started bringing my own plastic straws to McDonalds and Starbucks and plastic cutlery to restaurants, but my stock is getting low. Paper straws are horrible and steel straws are to expensive for just one use, so I started rehydrating in the shower or in case it rains, by keeping my mouth up and open. I wish there was some other way to get liquid in my mouth.
Still, I'm cool with dehydration, but those balloon stick holders at McD or BK?!?! They might as well ban breathing.
Steel straws are not for a single use ... They are for multiple uses !!😭😭
You can just drink without a straw if you don't have one.
Could you please make video on pva ( polyvinyl alcohol ) bags?
Complicated indeed. Where do I start. First off if any legitimate compostable packaging manufacturer will submit their products to BPI, a 3rd party certifier of compostable packaging to be approved for compostability in "commercial" composting facilities. Many times food scraps are being processed by farms who don't want bioplastics in their organic mix of compost mix while some composters will make 2 compost recipes, organic and non organic to allow the use of compostable packaging. The other benchmark that gives compostable packaging a bad grade is the fact that most of them are made overseas so the lifecycle measurement tools looks at the shipping costs using fossil fuels to transport which portrays a less than desirable lifecycle. So while permanent ware is the best choice (just not during COVID) , there is much more research that needs to be shared to your site about compostable packaging that is not mentioned here. Finally when landfills are mentioned and "what breaks down better" we all need to keep in mind that landfills are "tombs" for trash. They are sealed, concrete lined tombs for trash that lack enough significant sunlight, heat and moisture to break down anything. We actually dont want greenhouse gas emissions brewing in our landfills which is why we divert food scraps from them. I feel the best mix of single use packaging is BOTH recyclable packaging where its economically viable and compostable packaging where it can actually be processed nearby in a commercial composting facility. Those logistics need to worked out on a regional level at each of our solid waste districts because they have the knowledge and can create an infrastructure that logistically works.
Thank you - that was a really informative vid :)
Where I live the recycling either gets shipped to a dif state and has a bigger carbon footprint than just throwing it away or it get dumped in the landfill. The recycling here is just to make ppl feel good about themselves.