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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 2021)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 | 9A Closing The Loop — Clearing Up Confusion About Compostable Packaging T polystyrene foam packaging ending up in the landfill or our coastal environments. But we do have to be con- cerned with other dispos- able materials that wreck havoc on our environment: everything from biode- gradable plastics and plastic We couldn’t be prouder to be your community partner. 290+ PPP loan applications funded in our Florence community $14.7 Million funds disbursed to local Florence businesses Helping to preserve over 900 local jobs (800) 997-7121 | WWW.OPBC.COM Not Your Ordinary Bank member coated cardboard to com- postables, aka sustainable packaging. Wanting to do the right thing, many local business- es and food establishments switched over to using com- postable or biodegradable containers instead of other options, thinking that it was the more environmentally friendly choice. But as it turns out, not only are these op- tions up to three times more expen- sive, they aren’t nec- essarily eco-friendly, nor are they easy to compost or dispose of. Let me explain. First of all, biodegradable and compostable are two different things. It is im- portant to know the differ- ences to better understand how to dispose of them properly and efficiently. Here are their definitions: Biodegradable 1. A substance or object capable of being decom- posed by bacteria or other living organisms Compostable 1. Something that can be used as compost when it decays Examples of 100% bio- degradable products are plastic shopping bags, bin liners, dog poop bags, and a variety of food packaging. They are commonly pro- duced with renewable new materials like fermented cornstarch polymers (poly- lactic acid — PLA) or from a mixture of un-recyclable and harmful bioplastics (Number 7 plastic) such as polypropylene, polyethly- ene, polystyrene and PVC. The degradation of these plastic products is aided by microorganisms, but, in the end, microplastics and toxic materials will be left in the environment to find their way into our water systems and food chains. The PLA packaging can- not be recycled with the other plastics since it caus- es contamination and it requires commercial com- posting processing and can- not be composted at home. So it ends up in the landfill regardless of how environ- mental it may be. According to research done by the nonprofit or- ganization World Centric, only 13% of commercial composters accept com- postable products of the over 4,700 compost fa- cilities in the U.S. These commercial composting facilities are hesitant to take compostable prod- ucts for various reasons, including contamination, disintegration times, lack of equipment and revenue structures based on selling organic compost. Currently, Oregon does not have any commercial composting facilities that are willing to process any compostable food service products. This letter is from Oregon composters on this subject: https://www. oregon.gov/deq/mm/Doc- uments/MessagefromCom- poster-En.pdf. Examples of 100% com- postable packaging are pa- per, cardboard, bamboo, wood or bagasse (sugar- cane). NOTE: Plastic liners on some of these containers are not compostable. These containers can be put in a home composting system and will not degrade into toxic materials. But the environmental impacts of making compostable ma- terials such as the resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation and disposal of these materials and oxy- gen depletion of waterways due to fertilizer run off are cause for concern. To truly embrace a ze- ro-waste lifestyle, we need to generate less waste, whether it’s packaging or food. Recently, some cities and food establishments have embraced a more durable, reusable solution to the waste is- sues. GO Box, a reusable takeout c o n - tainer service, offers con- tainers that are checked out from ven- dors via an app and then dropped off at designated locations. The company, which is based in Portland, collects, cleans and sanitizes the containers, which are then re-used by other customers. At the end of their lives, the plastic reusable containers are recycled. Similar ser- vices are popping up in Se- attle, such as Green Grub- Box and another, Rogue To Go, was recently launched in Ashland, Ore. There is no quick solution to our increased use of sin- gle-use disposables. If you choose 100% biodegradable options, unfortunately these must be put in the garbage. But there are smarter choic- es we can make when you absolutely must make a de- cision. First choice is opt for easy to recycle items, like glass or metal. If you choose plastic, look for options like No. 2 or 5 containers. If you compost at home, choose cardboard or paper and of course the best choice is bring your own reusable container. More information can be found at www.worldcen tric.com and www.epa.gov/ recycle. Got ideas for future ar- ticles? Need more informa- tion about closing the loop? Have questions about your recycling efforts? Please contact me at britte.kirsch@ gmail.com or visit Waste Wise Lane County. Space #2 in the Old Hospital on 12th Street Buying or Selling? I can help. Richard Beaudro Principal Broker 541 991-6677 2970 Hwy 101 – Commercial property with an open floor plan and plenty of parking right on Hwy 101. Freshly painted interior and mostly new floor coverings. Clean and ready to go inside and out. $475,000. #3242-21600647 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 9 201 VOTED F BEST O E By Britte Kirsch here in Florence, the city Lane County Master Recycler has implemented an ex- Special to Siuslaw News tended polystyrene (EPS/ Styrofoam) ban since 2018 he pandemic has thanks to the efforts by the caused an uptick in Environmental Manage- the amount of to-go/take ment Advisory Committee. away containers being used Here, we don’t have to wor- worldwide. Fortunately ry about an abundance of F LO E N C R Jim & Jerry Neil’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 541-997-3825 Certifi ed – Bonded – Insured Property Services Contractor #39458 • SAM: #831298500/7E6J9 City License #2578 “Our commitment is to our customers cleaning needs with honesty and integrity”