enforcement, restaurants are still able to use this form of packaging, ultimately disregarding the progress that our county has been striving for.
The issue is not that there aren’t packaging alternatives to plastic for businesses to use, but rather that some of the more sustainable options aren’t accepted by most composting and recycling programs, even here in Marin. A business owner might think, at first glance, that they’re helping to avoid a global waste problem, but because of the lack of education on what a “compostable” or “biodegradable” product really is, the problem fails to go away. “Only around 185 cities pick up food waste at the curb for composting, and fewer than half of those also accept compostable packaging. Some of that packaging can only be composted by an industrial composting facility; some industrial composters say that they don’t want it, for a variety of reasons that include the challenge of trying to sort out regular plastic, and the fact it can take longer for the compostable plastic to break down than their normal process. (Peters, A. - FastCompany, 2019).” The purpose in explaining how this process truly works, is not to highlight the flaws in even the systems that show great promise, but to build a better understanding of the solutions that can and will actually make a difference locally, and hopefully globally.
Some businesses and restaurants have taken great strides in eliminating plastic waste, and providing consumers with safer and more environmentally conscious packaging, one of those places being Creekside Pizza in San Anselmo. We were able to meet with them and learn about all of the ways they are implementing compostable and biodegradable replacements to plastic products. Creekside has switched to 100% compostable pizza packaging distributed from World Centric, a company with innovative and compostable packaging ranging from cutlery, take-out containers, plates, trays, catering pans, straws, and even bags. This is one of the many companies looking to provide eco- friendly solutions to everyday consumption choices. A few other companies that provide cost friendly and very effective packaging are Good Start Packaging, Green Restaurant, and Be Green Packaging, just to name a few. By recognizing how significant everyday choices affect the environment, and more importantly the future of our planet, we can start to educate people and local businesses on how to reduce plastic consumption and production, just by switching to sustainable packaging, so we can finally forget about throw-away culture.