reese124•2d agoProlific Poster

Found out my "compostable" takeout containers from that vegan place downtown weren't actually breaking down in my home pile

I've been collecting those compostable containers from Green Bowl for like 8 months now, tossing them in my backyard bin with kitchen scraps. Last week I dug down to the bottom layer to turn the pile and those things looked exactly the same as the day I put them in. Not even a little soft or crumbly. Turns out the ones marked PLA need commercial composting facilities with high heat, not my little dirt pile. Now I gotta figure out if there's anywhere in town that actually takes them. Anyone else get fooled by this plastic labeled as compostable?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_ward2d ago

Wait, some places actually reject PLA because it takes too long?

terryk282d ago

Yeah, you mentioned "compostable" in quotes and that is exactly the problem. Those PLA cups and containers are technically compostable but only in a special facility that gets up to 140 degrees for weeks. Your backyard pile never gets that hot. I fell for it too with some clear cups from a salad place. Did some checking and most cities are actually pretty bad at handling this stuff, even the commercial facilities sometimes reject PLA because it takes too long to break down. Might want to call your local waste management first before hauling them anywhere.

logan2361d ago

Then those cups are basically just fancy trash.