It’s been all over the news… complaints about Sun Chips compostable packaging. Brian Williams of NBC news said the packaging is about as loud as a passing freight train; many others agree and PepsiCo has pulled most of that packaging.
But what they didn’t tell you is a better reason why the packaging should have been pulled anyway.
The bag in controversy is “compostable”. To compost, a substance has to pass a compostable standard (D6400) and be able to break down (decay) in an active compost pile within a set time frame. How many people do you know who have and maintain a compost pile in their back yard? I live in the country and still do not know anyone who does.
To compost is not easy; the temperature, oxygen and humidity have to be in acceptable ranges, and the compost material has to be physically turned on a rigid schedule. It requires time and management – not something most people are willing to do.
Only a few municipalities in the US have composting facilities. They can be counted on one hand. San Francisco is one, and that is why the city can legitimately ban non-compostable packaging. But, if you do not have a means to compost, what then? It’s simple…you just create more trash for the land fill, and the whole biodegradable packaging concept backfires. The problem is that “compostable” is not “recyclable”.
Biodegradable packaging of the type which was used in the Sun Chips packaging is not easily recycled. But whether the base material is PLA (Poly Lactic Acid, a vegetable base) or even cellulose (a wood base), neither of these are recyclable because they are not compatible with the majority of other commonly recyclable plastics. Most all recycling is mixed stream and is sorted by paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, etc. at the recycling facility. The problem with PLA is that it is not compatible with other plastics such as PE (Poly Ethylene) and PP (Poly Propylene). In fact, PLA is recyclable only with other PLA products, which are scarce.
The point is this: In order for packaging to be green it should be reusable. How do you reuse a bag that chips came in? Unless you have some creative idea in mind for it, you (should be able to) toss it into the recycling bin. The answer to reusability on thinner gauge plastics is recycling. It’s what we have been saying all along, but you won’t hear it from PepsiCo or others because it is not politically correct. But it is the truth.
Robby Meadows
Nashville Wraps
Read More:
Compostable vs. Biodegradable vs. Recyclable
Compostable PLA Plastic Bags
Tips for Home Composting
I live in the CITY of Cleveland. My compost pile is about half the size of my car. And yes, there is a chip bag in it. It is taking a very long time to decompose. It has been in there since they first came out.
I suppose you tend to surround yourself with like minded people… many people I know compost because they also garden. I have a friend in NYC that has a composter on his balcony, and another apartment dweller here that does worm composting in her parents’ garage so she has the goods to plant her container garden on her porch in the spring. If you don’t garden, why would you compost?
I know that many of us do not compost, nor have the means to do so. The package will not degrade in a landfill. It needs a combination of heat, moisture, oxygen and microbial activity to decompose. For non-composters, it’s still a better environmental option since the package is mainly made from corn, a renewable resource, rather than fossil fuels.
Back to composting–even though most of us don’t do it, I believe there will be more interest in years to come. They even have small electric compost units for people who live in apartments (who can use composted matter on flower beds and planter boxes). We’ll continue to post up-to-date information about composting on http://www.sunchips.com.
We consider you a valued consumer and hope you will continue to enjoy snacks from Frit o-Lay.
I have to disagree on your view of composting. Composting is ridiculously easy and is being done in neighborhoods all over the US. Why does reusable/recyclable have to be the only option?
My family uses compost-friendly paper plates when we entertain and they work wonderfully in our backyard compost bin.
I don’t understand the idea that these compostable bags will create more landfill waste and the biodegradable packaging concept backfires. They break down. That eliminates space problems, not immediately, but over time. I am happy to see companies looking for more green ideas for their packaging, or less packaging in general. What your article lacks is the point that Sun Chips bags do not break down, at least not in the 14 weeks they claimed. That is something to get upset about.
You are in the minority regarding composting, but kudos to you for sure! The millions and millions of consumers do not have the time, space, or energy to do it. I have a saying that I find very true in life and in business…”If you go against human nature, your are likely to fail”. So composting while great for those who do it, is not the normal so we need municipal composting to make it more convenient (to be in concert with our implusive natures).
I for one compost and I don’t do all the “scientific” things listed to keep it going. Just toss it in, turn it when I feel like it (about twice a year) and let God do the rest. I have great compost. With that said, I agree with Robby, there are plenty of things out there for me to compost and I much prefer to recycle my packaging, especially now that lots of cities offer mixed stream recycling so I don’t have to separate it all out.
Just a hunch here…but I’d bet that I would not find a composed chip bag in your pile 😉