From those small clear cups you get ice cream in, to the hot drinks from your favorite coffee shop, most people have probably seen the compostable logo, and just thought, “how on Earth does this compost? It’s so plasticky!”
The main benefit to compostable cups is that they can break down fully and sometimes be recycled into other products. There are several different kinds of compostable cups, such as paper cold cups, hot cups, and clear plastic cups. Almost all use PLA as an alternative to traditional plastic.
Clear PLA cups are considered a bioplastic and are made from a special type of plastic called Polylactic Acid. It is bio-based, meaning less fossil fuel needed, and very versatile. There are many kinds of PLA; some of them are used in 3D printers and others are used in compostable items like cups.
A lot of people assume that you can toss a plastic PLA cup into a garden and it will disappear after a few weeks, but actually it needs to meet several requirements, such as a large supply of oxygen and specific microbiotics meant for breaking down the plastic material. If one of these strays into a landfill, these conditions won’t be met and the decomposition process won’t occur.
Facilities meant for producing and later breaking down compostable cups require unique elements and high temperatures, making the process expensive. Since it’s cheaper for restaurants, stores, companies, etc to go with non-biodegradable cups, they’re used more often, leading to increased plastic waste.
Paper compostable cups are much easier to break down, but still aren’t intended to compost in home environments. They take an unrealistic amount of time to fully break down in nature, and are more effective to do so in commercial composting centers, similar to pure PLA cups.
While the main component is sturdy food-grade paper board, there is a PLA lining on the inside of the cup to ensure insulation. This means that biodegradable paper cups break down only somewhat easier than pure PLA cups.
As Fairview students learn more about recycling and composting this year, it’s important to emphasize the environmental impacts that sustainability efforts have. Yes, it takes a lot of money to break down compostable cups, but it’s certainly worth it in the long run. It’s become increasingly necessary to take action against climate change, and compostable cups are an easy step.
