Should I buy compostable products if I or my customers can't compost them?

If you live in an area where commercial composting service is not available, there are still upstream benefits to be realized in choosing compostables.

Compostables are made from renewable and compostable materials including corn, sugarcane stalks, wheat straw, and bamboo that do not contain toxic chemicals. They use fewer resources to manufacture and produce less pollution than their plastic counterparts. What's more is that compostables make use of agricultural byproducts like bagasse, the fibers remaining after sugarcane stalks are crushed for juice. These materials would typically be burned or thrown away but are instead used in the production of compostable products, reducing waste and creating an extra income source for farmers.

Lastly, choosing compostables sends a powerful buying signal into the marketplace. That signal shows manufacturers they’ll be rewarded for continuing to innovate and drive down costs of plastic-free packaging. It also sends a signal to municipalities that they should enable more permits to be created for commercial compost facilities to process these products into usable compost instead of filling up landfills. Lastly, choosing compostables empowers your customers to enjoy their food in plastic-free and toxic-free packaging. For more information, check out our blog post about this topic.