It\u2019s no secret that humans have a plastic problem. Single-use water bottles, takeout containers, hygiene products\u2014the stuff is everywhere, and even when we can recycle it, it still<\/em> ends up clogging our waterways and landfills. In recent years a new vocabulary has come to the world disposable products: compostable packaging. It sounds like a move in the right direction, but the details are\u2026 confusing.<\/p>\n The same questions tend to come up around compostable packaging again and again: Is is biodegradable? Can I put it in the recycling? Will it magically turn to dirt in my countertop compost bin alongside my coffee grounds and eggshells?<\/em><\/p>\n The good news: Compostable packaging does actually turn to compost just like your food scraps do, which is way gentler on the planet and can get used to help nourish soil. The bad news: It doesn\u2019t break down quite as easily, and you have to know exactly how to dispose of it to get it to turn into plant food.<\/p>\n Olga Kachook, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), observed that most folks think biodegradable and compostable packaging are basically the same, and the conclusion they draw is that they can just toss a compostable container on the ground or into water, and it\u2019ll dissolve over time (please don\u2019t do that!). Turns out, compostable packaging is a type of biodegradable packaging designed to break down alongside natural waste. It\u2019s usually made of plant-based materials, like corn syrup, cellulose, or paper, that decompose without leaving toxins behind.<\/p>\n Biodegradable packaging, which can be made from bioplastics like polylactic acid that research indicates can turn into microplastics, is a broader category, that simply means a material will break down over time with the help of microorganisms\u2014though there\u2019s no guarantee how long it\u2019ll take or what, if anything, it leaves behind. Disintegration varies widely based on the exact material and the environmental factors, like temperature and moisture (which is why it\u2019s often criticized by sustainability experts). However, research shows that biodegradable waste can linger for much longer than people think\u2014one study reported that biodegradable grocery bags were still intact after three years in soil.<\/p>\n \u201cMany consumers aren\u2019t aware of the connection between compostable packaging and how it can help benefit the environment,\u201d Kachook says. Aside from keeping toxins and microplastics out of our planet, compostable packaging can help curtail our methane fumes. Currently, food waste accounts for more than half of all methane emissions from landfills. \u201cPart of the real \u2018value\u2019 of compostable packaging is when it helps to get more food scraps out of landfills by acting as the vehicle for getting those food scraps into the compost bin.\u201d<\/p>\n But none of the benefits of compostable packaging can happen if you don\u2019t dispose of it properly, and that\u2019s where things get tricky.<\/p>\n Because the best tool for the job is the one you’ll reach for again and again\u2026and again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For starters, compostable products absolutely cannot go into the recycling. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that tossing compostable waste into the recycling bin, \u201ccan contaminate and disrupt the recycling stream if intermixed with petroleum-based plastics that are non-compostable,\u201d as grease and moisture degrade recyclable materials and clog the machinery used to sort through waste. That\u2019s why compostable packaging is so helpful for food- and beverage-related products, and not things like mailers or personal care items. \u201cIt both supports food capture and it doesn’t confuse consumers who may be used to recycling something and now have to put that packaging in a different stream,\u201d says Mary Katherine Moore, senior marketing and communications expert for the SPC\u2019s umbrella nonprofit, GreenBlue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"article](\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/69e8fde2dae641723a088eef\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/Best%2520reusable%2520cleaning%2520and%2520organizing%2520products3.jpg\"\/)
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