Disposable cutlery and cups make me cringe. Just thinking about petroleum-based plastics living much longer and (hopefully) less fulfilling lives than me is troubling.

Enter corn-, potato-, and other food-based disposable cutlery: a seemingly logical replacement to a petrol-based plastic disposable product.

In an era of "greenwashing," the question of whether or not these food-based alternatives are actually the answer is quite difficult to answer. Let's dive, fork-first, into the world of [disposable] containers, cups, and cutlery.

What's out there?

Traditional petroleum-derived plastics are widely known to be toxic. Plus, they take many, many years to break down; 100 to 400 years at the landfill, according to the EPA.

There is an alternative to what I like to call "fossil-fueled" plastics. This is a category of plastics manufactured with renewable biomass sources like vegetable oil or corn starch. These are referred to as bioplastics, as they are manufactured with, well, food. One of the more common bioplastics is Polylactic acid (PLA), typically manufactured from corn starch here in the U.S., and with sugarcane abroad.

But even though in manufacturing plastics with food we reduce our reliance upon fossil fuels, we musn't forget that fossil fuel energy is required to manufacture these products. And as a result of this, land that has (historically) been used for food crops is now being devoted to growing raw material for plastics. This (in addition to the spike in demand for ethanol) is increasing the price of food. On the surface, bioplastics seem like a guilt-free and earth-friendly alternative to petrol-based plastics, but the deeper you delve, the more you see that, in general, using disposable cutlery, cups and containers, could be a bit difficult to justify using while thinking with a green cap.

What does "biodegradable" really mean?

One problem with the "biodegradable" bioplastics (like PLA) is this: biodegradability is a term that is used quite loosely. Here in the U.S., for a bioplastic to be referred to as, "biodegradable," it must meet a third party trade organization's ASTM 6400 standard (see Bioplastic at Answers.com). This is the United States' not-so-stringent regulatory framework that requires 60% biodegradation within 180 days in commercial composting conditions (composting conditions that sometimes hit upwards of 200 degrees.) This is most definitely better than petroplastics that won't decompose, but rather "photodegrade " from sun exposure (the ultraviolet rays essentially break the plastic down into smaller pieces that are unusable- a good amount of which lie in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch...a famous oceanic gyre in the Pacific). Bioplastics, being polymers of glucose, are treated as food by decomposing microorganisms (see Bioplastics versus petroleum based plastics) and therefore will compost. But this is true only under certain conditions.

Just the other day I found myself cleaning the interior of my personal vehicle. By chance, I happened upon two corn-plastic cups from a recent trip to a local lunch spot . Timing was serendipitous, as I had just taken a break from writing this piece. I was inspired to re-enter the internet world and learn a little bit more about these 'green' alternatives to petroplastics. A little digging and I stumbled upon a (very slightly) outdated article from the Smithsonian Magazine entitled Corn Plastic to the Rescue. Check out this excerpt:

"PLA is said to decompose into carbon dioxide and water in a 'controlled composting environment' in fewer than 90 days. What’s a controlled composting environment? Not your backyard bin, pit or tumbling barrel. It’s a large facility where compost—essentially, plant scraps being digested by microbes into fertilizer—reaches 140 degrees for ten consecutive days. So, yes, as PLA advocates say, corn plastic is 'biodegradable.' But in reality very few consumers have access to the sort of composting facilities that can make that happen. NatureWorks has identified 113 such facilities nationwide (see Natureworks' PDF guide to these facilities)—some handle industrial food-processing waste or yard trimmings, others are college or prison operations—but only about a quarter of them accept residential foodscraps collected by municipalities.

Moreover, PLA by the truckload may potentially pose a problem for some large-scale composters. Chris Choate, a composting expert at Norcal Waste Systems, headquartered in San Francisco, says large amounts of PLA can interfere with conventional composting because the polymer reverts into lactic acid, making the compost wetter and more acidic. “Microbes will consume the lactic acid, but they demand a lot of oxygen, and we’re having trouble providing enough,” he says. “Right now, PLA isn’t a problem,” because there’s so little of it, Choate says. (NatureWorks disputes that idea, saying that PLA has no such effect on composting processes.) In any event, Norcal says a future PLA boom won’t be a problem because the company hopes to convert its composters to so-called anaerobic digesters, which break down organic material in the absence of oxygen and capture the resulting methane for fuel.

Wild Oats accepts used PLA containers in half of its 80 stores. “We mix the PLA with produce and scraps from our juice bars and deliver it to an industrial composting facility,” says the company’s Tuitele. But at the Wild Oats stores that don’t take back PLA, customers are on their own, and they can’t be blamed if they feel deceived by PLA containers stamped “compostable.” Brinton, who has done extensive testing of PLA, says such containers are “unchanged” after six months in a home composting operation. For that reason, he considers the Wild Oats stamp, and their in-store signage touting PLA’s compostability, to be false advertising."

Corn plastics aren't that great, afterall...right? Maybe this bioplastics thing really is a marketing ploy, I thought. I dug deeper and found some very interesting data.

The industrial corn complex

One of the largest manufacturers of these 'compostable' cups is Natureworks LLC - a Minnesota based firm that manufactures polymers from 'sustainable' raw materials. Here's the catch. Natureworks is a stand-alone company, but is wholly-owned by Cargill - a privately owned international firm that essentially deals corn. Cargill, also based in Minnesota, is a very important link in the American "food-chain" in that it is one of largest suppliers of corn derived products in the world.

The high fructose corn syrup in your cold beverage or snack food was likely manufactured by Cargill. The cut of beef you are eating for dinner tonight comes from a cow that was more than likely fed a corn diet that included product from Cargill. Most of the cattle here in the United States is fed corn because of the surplus that arose under (former) Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz in the early 1970s (and it still existed until recent weather in the Midwest, coupled with increasing demand for ethanol in these turbulent energy times has diminished, every so slightly, the American corn surplus). The legislation put in place has taken a toll on public and environmental health here in America. From increased caloric intake to the rise of the obesity and type II diabetes epidemics, corn has unconsciously been the smoking gun in terms of the arguably poor American food system and diet for over 30 years. And beyond the public and environmental health issues associated with Cargill's utliziation of corn, what about their sub-par environmental record?

How can I, in good conscience, say that corn plastics are a viable 'green' option?

Well (sigh of relief), lucky for us, Natureworks is not the only firm that manufactures these PLA cups. And more importantly, it takes 65% less energy to manufacture a corn plastic cup relative to a petroleum-based plastic cup. This was great news. My excitement in finding out that corn plastics are, in fact, less harmful to our environment brought me to a local Cafe I frequent, where I spoke with the owner on issues of sustainability.

A business owner's perspective

I'm a regular at Coffee Corner here in Newton Highlands, and every time I stop in for lunch, I learn something new about how owner Peter Murphy runs his business. Just the other day I sat down with him to discuss the issues of going green in the small business environment- particularly in terms of using products like corn cups and cutlery. After hearing a bit of the Coffee Corner's history and how he ended up behind the counter at 1182 Walnut Street, we discussed the issues surrounding the establishment of sustainability in our world. Peter has said it to my colleagues and me before: he wants to be 100% green.

The problem? It isn't economically sustainable, at this juncture, for Peter to be entirely green. This is not to say that the Coffee Corner isn't something of a pioneer. The gourmet breakfast and lunch spot uses fresh, often organic and often local ingredients and has a full stock of corn cups for its fresh squeezed vegetable and fruit juices and smoothies. Peter pays to have his garbage sorted through, so plastics and paper can be recycled. In addition, they encourage you to use as few napkins as you can and don't use disposable plates for their fresh wraps. Just the other day I noticed the compact fluorescent light bulbs in the ceiling fan. Peter isn't pursuing green because it's 'hot' right now. It's something that he believes in. He mentioned his desire to install solar panels at his home. But once again, these green gadgets are not always financially attainable. He struggles with is just as many do, as is apparent when he said, "....it seems like an ultimate power is trying to defeat this." The problem with corn cups and cutlery, he says, is that it is usually 20+% more than your standard plastic product. That may not sound like much, but, " [the] smallest amount of money makes a big difference in this business."

Economies of scale allow large firms to benefit from bulk-purchase discounts. In small businesses that require less product from firms that distribute and/or manufacture goods like disposable cutlery, the cost per unit price is higher because of the small(er) purchase quantity. However, today's rising oil prices, believe it or not, may prove beneficial to the bioplastic industry by allowing bioplastic products to compete fairly in terms of cost. This, coupled with a growing consumer demand for businesses to embrace sustainable business practices, could prove to be quite a catalyst for some positive change. Get pumped.

Petroplastic, bioplastic, or neither?

So finally, let's answer the question. Is the answer really to switch to disposable cutlery that is biodegradable and manufactured with food ingredients? Or is it to completely get rid of disposable cutlery and stick to washable silverware? It's quite a hot potato, if I do say so myself. Personally, I believe a good compromise is putting a moratorium on all disposable plastic spoon and fork production, and to create incentive for the replacement of these culinary staples with the spork: arguably the most hilarious (and practical) hybrid utensil ever to hit the dinner table. (Just kidding...but seriously.)

The advice that I would give is this: dine in wherever you eat out, and (if necessary) request silverware and reusable glasses. If you do end up having to use a disposable product, try to select a recyclable product if you have access to recycling or a compostable product if you have access to an industrial composting facility (to find out if there is a facility near you, check out this guide).

Bioplastics, although difficult to 'recycle' (as in biodegrade or compost) are a better choice in terms of effect on the environment relative to petroplastics. It just takes a little more work to actually complete the full cradle-to-cradle circle with these new(ish) PLA plastics. There is already an established infrastructre for the recycling of petroplastics (numbers 1-7) , whereas industrial composting facilities number only 113 from sea to shining sea. In time, this number will grow as PLA usage grows. So if you end up with a corn plastic cup, ask the restaurant at which you got it if they properly dispose of the biodegradable cups. If not, take the cup home. Although it likely won't compost in the pile of food scraps in your backyard, once you collect a substantial amount of these corn cups, you can look into getting the cups to your local composting facility.

Find Out More:

• Plastic vs Bioplastic
• 'Sustainable' bio-plastic can damage the enviroment, The Guardian
• City of Boston Recycling FAQs

by Joe DeCarle

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Image from Flickr user Odalaigh shared with a Creative Commons Attribution License.