Product Highlight: 6″ Compostable Cold Spoon (~$6 cheaper / case)

World Centric has released a new 6″ compostable cold spoon made from 100% PLA (derived from corn). We’re recommending this option for any businesses that need a spoon strictly for cold foods (e.g., frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream, cold salad bars).

Key details are as follows:

• Viv Price / Case of 1,000 spoons = $34.56 (standard spoon = $40.20)
• Item # = SP-CS-WH
• Strictly for cold foods < 120 degrees F
• Looks and feels the same as the standard 6″ spoon

For any current Viv members, they spoon is available for purchase from from World Centric. For any potential new Viv members, be sure to join Viv first so that we can pass along our 20% off discount code.

Looking to make a purchase? Check out our BPI certified 100% compostable coffee cups and compostable plastic cups.

So as we’ve mentioned, we’ve come to a conclusion recently that a large knowledge gap exists regarding biodegradable food packaging products and biodegradable cups.

We recently wrote up a buyer’s guide on compostable cold cups. We encourage you to read this guide first as it will give you the foundational buying knowledge you need when it comes to purchasing biodegradable cups.

UPDATE (8/3/2010): Viv Video Highlighting 4 Tips for Purchasing Biodegradable Cups

In this post we will focus on highlighting new criteria / information that you should be aware of specifically for biodegradable coffee cups.

Biodegradable Coffee Cups

Here’s what all purchasing managers need to know / evaluate when purchasing biodegradable cups and biodegradable coffee cups.

1. Price – This is again the most important factor for most organizations when it comes to purchasing biodegradable coffee cups. Again, we believe we have the best pricing available for small businesses, and as such, we encourage you to look around as pricing does vary widely.

2. Quality – Biodegradable coffee cup molds do not vary as profoundly as do molds for cold cups, and thus biodegradable coffee cups tend to be of similar quality. We do find that some are a bit more sturdy than others, but on the whole, quality is very similar across these biodegradable cups.

3. Design / Labeling – Again, labeling that identifies the biodegradable cups as 100% compostable is highly important. For more on why, please refer back to our buyer’s guide for compostable cold cups.

I’d like to focus here though on two very very important design aspects that many new-to-eco purchasers are not aware of.

1. Inner Lining of Biodegradable Cups – DO NOT PURCHASE BIODEGRADABLE COFFEE CUPS THAT HAVE A POLYETHYLENE (PE) OR PETROLEUM-BASED LINING.The vast majority of commercial composting facilities will not accept these cups as they contaminate compost¹. ONLY PURCHASE BIODEGRADABLE CUPS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED AS CONTAINING A “BIO-BASED” OR “BIO-PLASTIC” LINING. If the cups don’t say this, they’re probably lined with PE.
2. Sustainable Design – Truly eco-friendly paper hot cups should also be:
   • Made from high-levels of post-consumers recycled content
   • FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, certified as coming from well managed forests, and
   • ECF, elemental chlorine free, or PCF, processed chlorine free.

There are many biodegradable coffee cups out there today claiming to be compostable & eco-friendly and they are not. They’re lined with polyethelyne and are not made with high-levels of recycled content, FSC-certified, or PCF/ECF. We highly recommend steering clear of these cups.

4. Applications – Biodegradable coffee cups can be filled with any liquid, cold or hot. Typical uses by size that we’ve seen include:

• 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16oz, 20oz – Coffee, Tea
• 4oz, 6oz – Espresso, Tastings of hot beverages, Warm Sake

5. Compostability – Again, per our previous guide on cold cups make sure that the biodegradable cups you purchase are 100% compostable and are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

Hopefully you’ve found the information helpful.

If you’d like, you can check out our compostable hot cups (from World Centric).

And If you have other things that you think we’ve missed or that you look for in biodegradable cups, please do add them in the comments.

About the Author: Dinesh is a co-founder of the Viv Biz Club, and has worked with hundreds of business owners and/or purchasing managers regarding their compostable needs. The Viv Biz Club works with a wide range of organizations, including: restaurants, cafes, schools, churches, farms, beverage companies, start-ups, in more than 30 states across the country.

Notes:
1) In a recent study commissions by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition it was found that only 8.3% of commericial composting facilities that accept food packaging also accept coffee cups with polyethylene (PE) lining (vs. 80% acceptance for biodegradable coffee cups lined with a bio-plastic like poly-lactic acid).

So as we speak to more and more of our food service businesses about their purchasing needs, one thing has become very clear – there’s a major knowledge gap regarding compostable food packaging products.

Folks want to switch over to compostables, but they have many unanswered questions:

• Am I getting a good price?
• Will the products actually compost?
• How strong are the products?

… the list goes on.

As such, we thought it’d be worthwhile for us to write up buyer’s guides for a few of the most popular products. So without further ado…

Compostable Cups

There are a variety of compostable cups in the market. Today we’re going to focus exclusively on Compostable Cold Cups. We’ll cover off on Hot Cups in a later post.

Compostable Cold Corn Cups

Here’s what all purchasing managers need to know / evaluate when purchasing their compostable corn cups.

1. Price – Quite honestly this is the most important factor for most organizations when it comes to purchasing cups. Compostable corn cups tend to be more expensive than plastic or styrofoam, so the important comparisons are between vendors of compostable food ware. We’ve done price comparisons before and perhaps we’re a bit biased, but on the whole I think for small businesses we have the best pricing in the business. That being said, a few quick google searches for “compostable cold cups” should pull up a number of vendors whose prices you can compare.

2. Quality – Almost all compostable corn cups are made from PLA – poly-lactic acid derived from corn starch. As of now, I have not seen any compostable cold cups in the market that claim to be specifically from non-GMO corn. If you know of one however, please drop me an email at Partners@VivBizClub.com.

Some cold cups have a very thick mold, some are thinner. Thicker cups tend to be a bit more expensive, so you need to decide what’s right for your organization. Once you’ve done that, the best thing to do is order samples or small packs of cups to make sure they’ll work for your purposes.

3. Design / Labeling – This is very important and I think overlooked by most businesses. Compostable cups need to have very clear labeling that states that the cup is “100% compostable.” This is important for two reasons: a) so that consumers place the cups in a composting bin – not in a waste or recycling bin, and b) so that even if the cup accidentally ends up in a recycling bin (which inevitable happens), they can be identified when at a recycling facility and removed so that they do not contaminate the recycling (that’s right folks – compostable plastics can not be recycled! – they contaminate recycling as they melt at high heats and must be put in a home composter or sent to a composting facility). Most municipalities prefer that the “100% Compostable” labeling is green in color to make sorting even easier.

4. Applications – There’s a reason they’re called Cold Cups. They’re not for use with hot liquids. PLA starts to melt at temperatures north of 110 degrees F (cups should also not be stored in a particularly hot environment). Any cold food or beverage will be fine though and typical uses by size that I’ve seen include:

• 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, 20oz – Beer, Water, Smoothies, Lemonade, Soda
• 9oz squat, 9oz, 7oz – Cocktails and Wine
• 5oz, 6oz, 7oz – Frozen Yogurt, Yogurt & Granola, Rinsing Solution @ Medical Offices (interestingly enough I’ve started seeing a trend of eco-minded dental & orthodontists offices using the 5oz as water / rinse cups)

5. Compostability – The simplest thing to do to make sure that the cups you purchase are 100% compostable is to make sure your vendor’s products are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). In America, the standard for compostable plastics is ASTM-D6400. The BPI certifies that products meet this standard.

Once you’re sure that the product is 100% compostable it’s important to actually compost it :-). If you’re not composting the cups, you’re missing out on a very large part of the environmental benefit associated with them. Vendors should have information available regarding approximate composting times for different composting environments. Compostable plastics should break down within 180 days in a commercial composting facility. In a home composting system they can take longer as home composting systems do not heat up as much as commercial systems. We definitely recommend using a commercial facility for the products if one is available in your region (remember – you can use services like Find A Composter to find a commercial composting facility that accepts compostable cups.

So hopefully you’ve found the information helpful.

If you’d like, you can check out our compostable cold cups (from World Centric).

And If you have other things that you think we’ve missed or that you look for in a compostable cold cup, please drop them in the comments.

About the Author: Dinesh is a co-founder of the Viv Biz Club, and has worked & spoken with hundreds of business owners and/or purchasing managers regarding their compostable needs. The Viv Biz Club works with a wide range of organizations (e.g., restaurants, cafes, schools, churches, farms, beverage companies, start-ups) in more than 30 states across the country.

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.)

I was googling expanded polystyrene (typically known as “styrofoam”) food packaging bans the other day searching for a list of all the cities in the US that had banned polystyrene (aka PS). I was having quite a tough time finding the answer (though I eventually did… as any persistent googler does).

As a result, I wanted to draw up a quick post with the findings. Enjoy!

There are 100+ total polystyrene bans across cities in the US. I’ve listed most of the major cities & counties with polystyrene bans below along with reference links to either the ordinances themselves or articles on the bans. The “effective date” for the ban is also provided.
Most of the full bans are for polystyrene food ware (e.g., to go containers) and force restaurants and businesses to use recycled plastic or compostable alternatives (awesome!) to cut down on trash and landfilling. The partial bans typically ban the use of styrofoam at any city owned building or event. If we’re missing any cities or counties, let us know!

Alameda, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/2008
Albany City – Styrofoam Banned – 9/1/2008
Aliso Viejo, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/2/2004
Berkeley, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/1990
Calabasas, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 4/1/2008
Capitola, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/2009
Carmel, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/1989
Emeryville, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 3/1/2007
Fairfax, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/1993
Freeport, ME – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/1990
Glen Cove, NY – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/1989
Hecules, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 5/1/2008
Huntington Beach, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 4/19/2004
Laguna Beach, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 7/1/2008
Los Angeles, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban –
Malibu, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 7/1/2005
Milbrae, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/2008
Monterey, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 8/17/2009
Newport Beach, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/2009
Oakland, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/2007
Pacific Grove, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/2008
Pacifica, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/2010
Palo Alto, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 4/22/2010
Pittsburg, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 1/1/1993
Portland, OR – Styrofoam Banned – 6/12/1990
Rahway, NJ – Styrofoam Banned – 12/1/1996
Richmond, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 7/1/2010
San Bruno, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 4/1/2010
San Clemente, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 3/1/2004
San Francisco, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/1/2007
San Jose, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 11/10/2009
San Juan County, WA – Styrofoam Banned – 4/22/2010
San Mateo County – Styrofoam Banned – 4/1/2008
Santa Cruz, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 10/18/2008
Santa Monica, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 2/9/2008
Scotts Valley, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 6/17/2009
Seattle, WA – Styrofoam Banned – 7/1/2010
Sonoma, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 1/1/1989
Suffolk County, NY – Styrofoam Banned – 1/1/1998
Ventura County, CA – Partial Styrofoam Ban – 10/1/2004
West Hollywood, CA – Styrofoam Banned – 7/1/1990

Other cities currently considering bans:
Chicago, IL – Proposed Styrofoam Ban
New York, NY – Partial Styrofoam Ban Proposed
Boston, MA – Proposed Styrofoam Ban
Philadelphia, PA – Proposed Styrofoam Ban