Plastics Graduate to Green

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Besides PLA, BPI certifies as compostable the corn-based plastics made by BASF, Cereplast, Grenidea Technologies and Novamont. Compostable plastic containers are judged safe to drink from by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the conventional corn from which they're made isn't entirely green, since it's grown with pesticides.

BioBagUSA uses Novamont's resin in its biodegradable bags, but don't expect to find them replacing grocery bags anytime soon. "Our shopping bags range from four to eight times the price of a polyethylene bag, so we have a problem breaking into that market," says Terry Phillips, a partner at BioBagUSA.

Just as the man in The Graduate said: There's a great future in plastics—the trick is to make it green.

Where to Find Greener Plastics:

Look for the BPI/USA Composting Council (USCC) "compostable" label on packaging and products and be wary of plastics labeled "biodegradable" that don't list BPI and USCC certification.

Harris Teeter and Wild Oats food markets use corn-based plastics in their deli and food-service containers.

Biota Spring Water ($.99/half liter or $1.89/liter, retailers listed at www.biotaspringwater.com)

BioBag 13-gal. Tall Kitchen Bag, Dog Waste Bag, Cat Pan Liner and Biotoilet bags for camping or boating (www.biobagusa.com, 727-789-1646)

For more PLA products, see "Picnic Perfect Plastics."

Resources

To find commercial composters in your area, see: www.bpiworld.org.

Biodegradable Plastics Institute www.bpiworld.org

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