We recently had a very smart question come through from a new Viv business – Crave Catering + Events – based in Brooklyn, NY. After responding, I thought we should share the response with other Vivers who may be wondering the same thing. Enjoy!

The Question Went Like This:

“Are the compostable plates biodegradable…as in if we throw them out and they end up in a landfill somewhere will they biodegrade?

At Crave we currently don’t compost, but we do food recycling. We use a system called bokashi, but we are not able to use that on compostable products… I was hoping to figure out another alternative because I certainly don’t want the plates to end up in a landfill and just sit there.”

My Response:

The bagasse / wheat straw plates are biodegradable, but in an anaerobic environment such as a landfill they will take significantly longer to breakdown (likely a few years… as opposed to 30 days in a commercial composting system or 90 days in a home composting system).

I’d say a few things:

1. Since composting isn’t offered by your city, you could
   • create a home composting system, or
   • look-up a composting facility near you that may offer pick-up or drop-off using FindAComposter.com
2. You may want to check with the folks at Vokashi (Crave’s Bokashi Partner) to see if their system can be used on “bagasse” products specifically. I could see it not working with things like compostable cutlery which have a longer biodegradation cycle, but bagasse products break down quite quickly and in the right amounts it may work with Bokashi.
3. Obviously, composting the products is ideal and if you can do #1 or #2, fantastic. If not, there are still quite a number of benefits to using compostable products, which I think are pretty powerful. To name a few:
   • Less Energy Used – World Centric is able to make >3 bagasse plates for every one styrofoam plate that’s made (and 2 forks for everyone 1 plastic fork)
   • Less Dependence on Petroleum – By using compostables made from sustainable materials we’re reducing our dependence on oil
   • Less Damage via Externalities to Mother Nature – Products like styrofoam (as well as some plastic products) are harmful to the planet in ways beyond the fact that they add to our landfills (e.g., styrofoam often breaks up into small pieces which are toxic to animals & marine life; styrofoam & some plastics also leach toxins into our ground water; the list goes on)

Increasingly products are being made with “compostable” and “biodegradable” on their labels (we should know ;-)).

But here’s the little known fact – the word “compostable” actually means something, and it’s definition is tightly controlled by International Standards… whereas the word “biodegradable” has a very loose, almost meaningless definition.

UPDATE (8/3/2010): Viv Video | “Biodegradable Packaging vs Compostable Packaging – DON’T get Greenwashed”

Let’s talk about it in the context of the new generation of eco-friendly plastics.

So, what is the difference between compostable and biodegradable plastic?

Well, the simplest way to identify a truly compostable product is to just look it up at the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) (the leading authority on compostable products).

As mentioned in our post on compostable cutlery that isn’t actually compostable, the long definition goes as follows:

Compostable Plastic“is capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site as part of an available program, such that the plastic is not visually distinguishable and breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass, at a rate consistent with known compostable materials (e.g. cellulose), and leaves no toxic residue.” – as defined by the American Society for Testing and Measurement (ASTM-D6400 & ASTM-D6868).

According to ASTM D6400 and D6868 (and the European equivalent EN13432), compostable plastics must meet the following three criteria:

1. Biodegradability – Determined by measuring the amount of CO2 produced over a certain time period by the biodegrading plastic. The standards require 60% (90% in Europe) conversion of carbon into carbon dioxide within 180 days for resins made from single polymer and 90% conversion of carbon into carbon dioxide for co-polymers or polymer mixes.
2. Disintegration – Measured by sieving the material to determine the biodegraded size and that less than 10% remains on a 2mm screen within 120 days.
3. Eco-Toxicity – Measured by testing the concentrations of heavy metals to ensure that they are below the limits set by the standards and by testing plant growth by mixing the compost with soil in different concentrations and comparing plant growth in test and controlled compost samples.

So that’s the standard for “compostable plastics”.

Biodegradable Plastic, on the other hand, is plastic which will degrade from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi) over a period of time. Note, however that there is no requirement for “eco-toxicity” and no time requirement for the biodegradation of biodegradable plastic.

The ASTM standard for compostability is applied to a range of products, but most typically is found on bags and food service ware, including: cups, cutlery, plastic coated paper items, and even bagasse and sugar cane products.

The rate of biodegradation for compostable products varies based on composition of the product, thickness, as well as composting conditions. Commercial composting systems, where compost piles are turned and typically reach high temperatures, often result in a much faster rate of biodegradation. (World Centric, a compostable food packaging manufacturer, actually has a fantastic chart showing high level estimates of biodegradation of their products in home composting vs commercial composting systems.)

In short, the term “biodegradable” is typically a term used to green wash products and make them seem good for the environment.

So, have you ever purchased “biodegradable” supplies and wondered if they actually break down? Tell us about an experience you’ve had.

And next time you’re making a purchase, make sure to purchase products that are certified compostable.

For more information, we suggest the following resources:
Biodegradable Products Institute
US Composting Council
ASTM
World Centric’s FAQ

I heard about this new campaign recently called TakeOutWithOut and decided this was a must share.

The Mission: Enabling people & restaurants to reduce restaurant waste by forgoing excess food packaging.

A few thoughts on why this is so sweet:
1) I don’t need 50 napkins every time I buy a burrito.
2) If I’m grabbing take out and going home, I don’t need a plastic (or even a biodegradable) fork. There’s no need to waste the fork and metal tastes better in my mouth anyway.
3) There’s a reason 6-packs were built with handles – that way you can carry them back to your house/car/apartment/bike? without the plastic bag.
4) I’m sick of the awkward stares I get from cashiers (even in San Francisco – heart of green) every time I refuse a bag, cutlery, napkins, condiments… the list goes on.
4b) I’m sorry to admit that some of these confused stares (or maybe just a ‘not wanting to deal them’ attitude) have been bad enough that I’ve actually taken the excess packaging… which is obviously the worst way to go.

So needless to say – go ToWo. I’m still dubious of the “glass straws” you’re pushing (I’m not a straw biter, but it just seems dangerous) – everything else I’m on board with though.

(ps – just because we’re helping businesses switch over to compostable food ware or other products, doesn’t mean it’s not important to reduce or reuse first. don’t forget that.)

Looking to make a purchase? Check out our Viv utensils that are 100% compostable.

Our offices are based in SOMA San Francisco and after picking up a salad at Whole Foods for lunch today, I saw the following sign next to their disposable cutlery – Taterware. If you can’t read the sign it says:

“Dear customers, we have been informed by Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling that the present formulation of Taterware cutlery has not been found to be compostable in the commercial compost program at Jepson Prairie Organics where our compost is currently being sent. The product is not presently acceptable in the San Francisco composting program or in its recycling program.”

First, I’ll say this was not a suprise to me, as Taterware is not certified as compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). Further, I have reports on my desk from Cambridge Polymer Group which state that Taterware is made up of 73% polypropylene (or plastic).

I imagine though that this will come as quite a surprise to the many business owners & consumers that use Taterware everyday, expecting it to compost in a commercial composting facility.

Something that many folks don’t know is that “biodegradable” does not mean “compostable”, and while Taterware is labeled biodegradable it was never certified compostable.

I am happy to say that our food ware partner, World Centric, uses cutlery that has been 3rd party tested as containing no plastic and is currently under process of ASTM 6400 testing. (Further speaking to the integrity behind World Centric, they share on their website, that they were previously using cutlery which despite being BPI certified and meeting ASTM standards was found to be not fully compostable. They discontinued the corn-resin which was causing the issue and have now had their utensils re-tested and confirmed as fully compostable containing 0% PP).

If you have further questions, there’s a Whole Foods contact (noted in the sign) that you can reach out to. We’ll be reaching out to Whole Foods to see if they’re interested in switching over to World Centric’s compostable cutlery: a mix of 70% non-GMO PLA and 30% talc.

(ps – sorry for the spills on the sign, looks like Whole Foods customers were a bit messy today.)

UPDATE (8/3/2010): Viv Video | “Biodegradable Packaging vs Compostable Packaging – DON’T get Greenwashed”

So I’ve been reading quite a few articles (see Greenfudge or The Pitch highlighting innovative London based grocery store, Unpackaged.

If you haven’t heard of them yet, it’s a novel (though strangely traditional concept) through which the market sells completely “unpackaged” goods. You bring your own container, and Unpackaged fills it with whatever groceries, produce or good you’ve purchased. To quote the store:

“…bring anything you like, there’s nothing to date that we haven’t been able to refill (even our lovely friend who likes putting lentils in old water bottles!) Bring glass jars, tupperware, old takeaway cartons, brown paper bags, plastic bags, old packaging.. if it’s heavy, we’ll weigh it first, if it’s light then just refill and we’ll weigh at the end.”

After reading about Unpackaged, I thought we should give a similar shout out to Green11 (a SF based Viv Supply partner) who focuses on allowing local SF residents & businesses to refill their empty cleaning product bottles with Green11′s biodegradable green cleaning products.

The store, located in Noe Valley, is quite lovely, and as you can see is filled with hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, body wash, multi-purpose solution, detergent, etc – giving locals the opportunity to top off with just a quick pump & squirt.

If you’re a resident in the area, it’s a must stop. If you’re a business in San Francisco, Green11 delivers, so don’t be a stranger.

And re-use those bottles!

You may (or may not) know that we just launched VivBizClub.com a few days ago. There are still a few kinks to be worked out, so if you don’t mind, please bear with us on those; and if you would like to share any thoughts or feedback, we’d love to hear from you – please email us at partners@vivbizclub.com.

As such though, we want to introduce you to the site, the Viv Business Club, and how to get the most out of your experience through a series of posts regarding “How to Best Use VivBizClub.com.”

#1 – The Savings Calculator:

You’ll notice on both our home and products pages a widget called the Savings Calculator. This widget is designed to help you estimate your annual savings when you switch over to purchasing your green products from Viv suppliers.

For the time being, we’ve listed about 20 of the most popular products carried by World Centric, Office Depot, and Green11. Simply:

1. Select a product from the drop down
2. Punch in your cost today (per case)
3. Enter the number of units in the case you currently buy
4. Enter the number of cases you use each month, and
5. Hit Calculate

The calculator displays the Viv price per case and then calculates your estimated annual savings. (it will also automatically adjust for any differences in the number of units in your case v. a case from a Viv supplier).

A few quick notes:

– Just enter numbers; no need for any commas or dollar signs
– We’re going to build our full product list into the calculator soon; please be patient with us as we get that up

Let’s run an example:
Say you’re a local restaurant owner with 3 stores; each store uses biodegradable trash bags in the kitchen. Those bags can be a bit pricey and you’re currently paying $95.79 for 90 garbage bags (the big ones – 39 gallons). Note: this is a real price based off the top result on google when you search for 39 gallon biodegradable trash bag. Lastly, you go through about 3 bags each day per restaurant, so 9 total per day for your 3 restaurants; that’s 270 bags across all your entire business each month.

Product = 39 Gallon Trash Bag
Cost Today (per case) = 95.79 (remember, no $ needed)
Units per case = 90
Cases Used = 2.7
**Calculate**
Viv Price (per case) = $112.2
Yearly Savings with Viv = $1,467.72

(if this math looks a little funny, that’s because cases of 39 gallon biodegradable trash bags from World Centric contain 200 bags each; don’t worry though, the Yearly Savings number has already accounted for this case unit difference).

So as you can see, we believe you’re going save big on your eco-friendly supplies when you start buying with Viv. We’ve gotten some large discounts on a wide variety of green products from our suppliers and we hope you’ll run a few numbers with our Savings Calculator and see the savings first hand!