LET’S TALK ABOUT PLASTIC

Photo: The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) 

By Angelica Klein

Polylactic Acid or as they are better known as, PLAs, are biodegradable materials made from renewable resources such as cornstarch and sugarcane. The premise of these products is great and provides a convenient solution to our plastic problem: to keep using single-use items at restaurants or in takeaway food order while not making a lasting impact on the natural environment. However, new research has surfaced in the last year on how to properly dispose of PLAs. Many individuals or F&B outlets have not given the disposal of PLAs much thought since they are currently being marketed as biodegradable and compostable. There is no official agreed standard for ‘biodegradable’ so this causes confusion in the marketplace. But the idea that PLAs do not have a lasting impact on the environment is not necessarily true.

The idea is that PLAs are made to be compostable, meaning that they will decompose under certain conditions into harmless natural compounds [1]. Many biodegradable PLAs can break down, but it is undetermined on how long it takes. Also, some biodegradable PLAs are made with fossil fuels or need to use chemicals in the breakdown process, which leads to fragmented plastics [2].

One of the main critiques of using PLAs labelled as ‘compostable’ is that to break down this single-use cutlery and other items they need to be placed in an industrial composter, which reaches very high temperatures. Not many cities have an industrial composting facility, so the idea that using compostable plastics as a solution to our plastic problem is not a solution. In different cities the recycling organizations understand that PLAs and plastics cannot be recyled in the same format. The genral public need to know not to put PLAs in plastic recycling bins, because its cannot be broken down in the same way. But many consumers do not know the difference between PLAs and regular plastics and put both into the plastic recycling bins, thinking they are doing the right thing [2]. Unfortunately, if that happens the plastic recycling bin is considered contaminated, and everything in that bin heads straight to the landfill.