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In 2007, San Francisco said goodbye to polystyrene foam food service packaging and never looked back. 

That year, a decree came into effect banning the use of EPS foam in food service establishments. The city stipulates that alternative materials must be compostable or recyclable. 

However, when the city issued the decree, it stated that any restaurant can apply for an exemption if the ban causes any type of economic hardship. Of the 4,500 food companies affected by the ban, only two requested exemptions.

Jack Macy, senior commercial zero-waste coordinator at the San Francisco Department of Environment, told Plastic Today that there is not much resistance from food suppliers because many people have turned to alternative products.

In the three years since the decree was passed, studies have shown that polystyrene waste has been reduced by 41%. Participants in the urban food waste and compostable collection program can receive up to 74% garbage discount.

"We have upstream and downstream concerns about polystyrene, so we hope that any disposable food provided by the city is compostable or recyclable," he said. "When the policy took effect, it added more compostable use in San Francisco."

The ban also helped the city achieve its goal of zero waste by 2020.

Composting is accepted, but it is complicated. However, implementing such a huge plan is by no means easy. Especially when many alternatives are affected by green bleaching claims.

Compostable food services accepted by the San Francisco Compost Program must be certified as compostable by the Institute of Biodegradable Products. Compostable plastic products must be clearly marked "compostable" (stickers or printing) in the green or green belt to distinguish the products from traditional plastics. The tableware must be stamped with the words "compostable" on each piece. Compostable plastics must meet ASTM D6400 compostable standards.

The city stated that catering services are only marked as: "green", "environmental protection", "biodegradable", "degradable", "decomposes", "photodegradable", "made from corn starch" or other undesirable A confirmed statement is not accepted. Jepson Prairie Organics is an organics processing plant in San Francisco and can only process acceptable items.

Acceptable compostable or recyclable food service items include: paper, plant fibers (such as sugar cane, wood, and compostable plastics).

"On the issue of the term biodegradable, you can argue that within a time frame, everything is ultimately biodegradable," Messi said. "It is abused and misleading. That's why compost must be verified, which can help solve the problem of greenwashing."

A key challenge is the general confusion about bio-based materials, because biomaterials are not always the same as compostable, but sometimes consumers think they do.

"There are indeed some companies that offer compostable products, but they don't have to be labeled as such," Messi said. "They need to communicate what happens to the product at the end of life. Hopefully we will see compostable tableware becoming more common, but companies must again incorporate end of life into their designs and really consider what they are for the product to happen. What to communicate."  

Dan Matsch, EcoCycle composting project manager, said that composting is not an easy path. EcoCycle, a non-profit recycling company based in Boulder, also promotes zero waste practices to the community. 

"Compared to recycling, the biggest challenge of composting is that many people have never done it before," he said. "Composting really changes the dynamics of the entire business, especially if you are in a restaurant-everyone is making a contribution, and you have to train employees, otherwise it won't work. There is a big difference between recycling and composting. "

Matsch said the claim that they are compostable "biodegradable" plastics is a problem with composting facilities.

"This is a huge pain for us, there is too much green drifting," he said. "Many companies that have entered this field, I believe they do not realize that they are creating something that is just greenwashing and will not benefit anyone. This is very challenging for customers."

Regarding composting becoming the norm, he thinks this country still has a long way to go.

"It's a bit like the chicken or the egg first-if you make something designed for a collection plan that is still in its infancy, then as the collection infrastructure is in place, you have to slowly roll it out," he Say. "In any case, I think the plastics industry, and any manufacturer today, must stop throwing things into landfills. This will be achieved through collaboration on the design table and customer-centricity, so that customers know you clearly. How do you need to dispose of this packaging."

The future is a mushroom? In recent months, eco-design has received a lot of attention. The materials science company is developing a new family of compostable bioplastics based on mycelium, a living organism. The company touts its mushroom material as a high-performance, environmentally responsible alternative to traditional plastic foam packaging, insulating materials and other synthetic materials.

Ecovative Design's marketer Sam Harrington said that founders Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre were fascinated by mushrooms growing on wood chips and observed how fungal hyphae bind wood chips firmly. This inspired them to think about new ways to use mycelium as a resin. They developed a new process for bonding insulating particles together, creating a material that can replace PS foam. The present invention not only reduces the impact of traditional polystyrene foam on the environment, but also creates a brand-new paradigm in which the composite material can truly grow and utilize natural efficiency.

Ecovative is now a team of approximately 60 people, providing materials for Fortune 500 customers.

Ecovative's patented process uses mushroom technology to convert agricultural waste such as corn stalks and cotton burrs into renewable, cost-effective, home-compostable plastic alternatives. The company uses mycelium (mushroom "roots") to bind agricultural waste particles (such as seed shells or plant stems) together. This growth process takes place indoors, in the dark, in less than a week. The resulting mushroom material is then dried to stop the growth.

The company's first product, Mushroom Packaging, is for the protective packaging industry and is currently used by Dell, Crate & Barrel and PUMA.

Harrington said that this renewable, home-compostable packaging material has replaced thousands of EPS, EPP and EPE plastic foam packaging components.

Mushroom materials cannot run on any traditional plastic machinery.

Although the resulting chitin biomaterial is technically a bioplastic, it does not form or shape when heated. On the contrary, mycelium chemically converts nutrients in agricultural by-products into new materials.

"This is similar to how a lobster grows a plastic-like shell at room temperature without any machinery," he said. "Ecovative has designed, developed, and now sells a complete set of professional equipment to partners who have licensed Myco technology for specific markets."

Regarding material costs, Harrington stated that they expect the company to be able to meet or exceed PS prices for all applications. They think the difference is that instead of using oil resources with fluctuating prices, they use unlimited renewable agricultural by-products.

When it comes to the PS bubble ban; Harrington said they were encouraged.

"Styrofoam and all plastics have some incredible properties that have greatly contributed to the prosperity of mankind, but also have terrible ecological consequences, some of which we are just beginning to understand," he said. "Current solutions, such as recycling and recycling programs, may not be enough to stop the growth of plastic collected in ocean circulation, landfills, and the entire environment. As biocompatible alternatives such as mushroom packaging become feasible, it It will definitely help that there are some legislative drivers to promote and accelerate the adoption of compostable material technology."

Up to now, the ban on polystyrene so far has mainly focused on cups and restaurant takeaway containers. The company is (yet) unable to produce these food service items.

However, Harrington stated that there have been rumors of bans, taxes or mandatory EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) plans for protective packaging plastic foams, and he believes that “will help accelerate the industry’s shift from expanded plastics to better options”.

"We believe that we can replace most foamed plastics and foams, including EPS, EPP and EPE," he said. "This is simply a material revolution. Just as we have seen our world changed by petroleum-based plastics in the past 100 years or so, we look forward to a new biomaterial revolution, including Ecovative's mushroom materials, that will define us Human progress in the next 100 years."

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