incorporating certified compostable plastics in …€¦ · incorporating certified compostable...
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Incorporating Certified Compostable Plastics in Municipal
Organic Recycling Programs
Presented in collaboration with the Compost Council of Canada & Canadian Plastics Industry
Association by Isaul Lopez
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Fundamental Truths
Returning organics to the soil:
Our Soils benefit from the ongoing
addition of COMPOST for enhanced fertility and health
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Soil & Plant Benefits
• Organic Matter • Improved Soil Structure • Moisture Retention • Erosion Control • Disease Suppression • Plant Available
Nutrients & Micro-Nutrients
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Today’s Truthful Reality in Waste Management
Make the System “Convenient & Pleasant” to enhance participation
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Fundamental Truths
Garbage In = Garbage Out
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The Composting Process
• Organics & contaminants in >
• Composting process >
• End product >
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Support the sustainable advancement of organics recycling to address:
- Waste Diversion - Build Healthy Soils + Conserve Water - Improved Environmental Culture - Sustainable Industrial & Household
Practices
Our Common Purpose
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DIVERSION BENEFITS
• Waste is produced every day • Up to 60% of waste material generated is compostable • Diversion saves decreasing landfill space • Landfills release methane into the atmosphere which has a
greater short-term environmental impact than that of carbon dioxide.
• More compostable consumer packaging entering the market • Our Soils benefit from the ongoing addition of COMPOST:
• Increased Soil Carbon Storage • Decreased Water Use • Decreased Soil Erosion • Reduced Fertilizer Use • Reduced Herbicide Use
• Biogas generation + composting generation benefits
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About Compostable Plastics
• Certified compostable products are biodegraded during composting by microorganisms.
• Oxo-degradables and PE resins do not biodegrade during composting.
• Compostable resins can be petroleum-based and/or have renewable content (varies depending on supplier and grade).
• Compostable resin manufacturers support BNQ certifications in Canada. • Other certifications BPI, EN 13432, Japan GeenPLA and
others
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When discussing compostable products, emphasis will be on
CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE
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Standards Exist
• Disintegrate during composting such is not readily distinguishable from the other organic materials in the finished compost.
• No adverse effect on the ability of the compost to support plant growth
• after 84 days no more than 10% of tis original dry mass remains after sieving through a 2.0 mm sieve (safely biodegrade in 180 days or less leaving no visible or toxic residues).
Canadian BNQ (CAN/BNQ 0017-988) and ASTM 6400 Standards for Certified Compostable Bags and Products:
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CAN/BNQ Certified Compostable Products
• Compostable Products Bags & Packaging
Materials (CAN/BNQ 0017-988) http://www-es.criq.qc.ca/pls/owa_es/bnqw_norme.liste_entr_cert?p_lang=en&p_id_prog_certif=622&p_id_prog_certif2= 10 compostable products certified by BNQ
• Canadian Certification Program Criteria
http://www.compostable.info/background.htm
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Two Agencies Certify for Conformity with Standard
• Certification is done by two North American independent third party organizations BNQ & BPI
• Getting certified provides proof that manufacturers conform to accepted composting standards
• When certified, manufacturers are licensed to use the composting “Mark of Certification” on bags & outer packaging
• Municipalities, citizens and commercial operations can look for the “Mark of Certification” when purchasing compostable bags
Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)
CAN/BNQ 0017-088
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Significant Resources Invested in Certified Compostable Bags
• Compostable resin producers have invested in research and development to create resins that meet composting standards
• 30 plus companies have compostable bags certified by both BNQ & BPI
• Commercial organics recycling facilities have invested in advanced technology to process and manage incoming organics in certified compostable bags and paper bags o Certification Programs o Technical Support Programs – Bag Manufacturers and Compost
Operators o Compost Technology – bag breakers and ongoing research o Municipal & Commercial collection programs invested in communication
& education programs
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Benefits of Certified Compostable Bags
To Citizens • Certified compostable bags encourage participation by containing
liquids, reduces odours, insects & pests and clumping of organics independent of the compost technology used: • Contributes to the success and convenience of SSO programs • Offering choice contributes to improved organics recovery
• Easily identifiable by their certified compost “Printed Mark of Certification” and appearance • Puncture and tear resistant • Safe, hygienic, and convenient to use • Fits and conforms to regular organic collection containers
• Sustainable choice, saves on water usage and less detergents for bins cleaning.
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Benefits of Certified Compostable Bags
To Waste Collectors • Translucent to view contents
• Bag breathes, allows oxygen (O2) in and permits water vapor to
leave the bag reducing moisture content up to 25% - 50% in five days - reducing odorous anaerobic conditions
• Weather resistant
• Hygienic, safer (less direct contact with employees), and collection efficient
• Recognized with CAN/BNQ & BPI “Mark of Certification” at curb/in the bin from other plastic bags
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Certified Compostable Bags are Economical
• Providing citizens the choice of Certified Compostable bags can translate into savings to an average family, when compared to other options
16”x17” Cert. Compostable Bags 20 bags = $4.40 Cost per bag = $0.22 2 bags/week = $0.44/wk. 52 weeks = $22.88/yr.
Sources: Usage based Region of Halton Report PPW07-06 & W. Ralston (Canada) Inc. and updated pricing as of Jan. 2014 by Hruska & Associates & CPIA (based on avg. retail pricing per bag)
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Certified Compostable Bag Applications
Certified Compostable Bags Used Successfully In:
Kitchen Bin Liners Brown Bin Liners Leaf & Yard Waste
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6.9 Million Canadian’s Using Certified Compostable Bags and
Growing
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
Population(Million)
Year
Growth of Certified Compostable Bag Use in Canada: Population
Total PopulationAccess to SSOCurbside Collection
No - Cert.Compostable BagUse Curbside
Yes - Cert.Compostable BagsCurbside
Certified Compostable Bags Population: 6.9 Million
Sources: 1. Canadian Plastics Industry Association 2. Composting by Households in Canada, Statistics Canada July 2013
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“Choice” - Citizens Use Certified Compostable Bags
Source: Region of Halton, Waste Management Dept. Sept 18, 09
77%
8%
8%7%
Organic Material Set-out method (inside curbside bin) %
Certified Compostable
Paper Bags
No Liner
Plastic
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Diversion Benefits
“Giving Citizens a Choice”
SSO (food) Collected - HHLD / Yr (kg’s)
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65
119103
120 131
179
0
50
100
150
200
Waterloo Kingston Peel Simcoe Dufferin Durham Halton
Municipal SSO (Food) Program Capture Rate Comparison
Comparison Source: VisionQuest Environmental Strategies Corp. at US Composting Council AGM January 26th, 2011
Paper Bag Liners only
Choice of Cert. Compostable Polymer & Paper Liner Bags
• Capture rates are also affected by levels of C&E, bag limits on garbage, program maturity and other factors
• Waterloo recently added bag choices July 1, 2013 and has experienced more diversion of organics due to an aggressive C&E program and a choice of bags.
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PROCESSING BENEFITS
Certified compostable products: • Biodegrade in aerobic composting
process • Do not disturb high solids anaerobic
digestion • biodegrade at the digestate composting
stage
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Benefits of Certified Compostable Bags
• Can be treated the same as organic contents for efficiency in feedstock preparation
• Becomes part of the compost produced (aerobic)
• Halton Region Report PPW82-05 on All Treat Farms, a major organics compost operator testimonial: • “with the introduction of the compostable plastic bags, there has
been no increase in contamination levels and they are breaking down effectively in their system.”
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Processing Issues to Overcome
• About 183 total compost facilities listed in Canada • Approximately 35 accept compostable service-ware &
bags (19% of total) • Improve visual differentiation of CCB’s versus non-
CCB’s and PE bags for citizens and composters • Use the proper grinding equipment that is able to handle
film without clogging at pre-processing • Continuous education of population on SSO programs
and proper use (and recycling/separation) of certified compostable products entering the market
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Certified Compostable Products help advance Compost Market Quality
Direct Linkages in helping to address Compost
Producers’ need to: • Minimize foreign matter content • Stay within Trace Elements criteria for
Category A and/or B Compost
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Update on Certified Compostable Committee
• Formed by MWA, CCC and CPIA
members • To share best practices on organics
collection and processing of Certified Compostable bags
• Make recommendations on introduction of compostable products
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Future Action & Collaboration Needed
• National Standard on certified compostable bags guidelines for differentiation vs non compostable bags.
• Guidelines on labelling and differentiation of new compostable products.
• Regulation reinforcement on unsubstantiated biodegradable claims according to National Standard of Canada CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 “Self Declared Environmental Claims and Labels”
• Prevent products with false claims to contaminate compost.
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Additional Information & Links to Certified Compostable Bag & Resin Suppliers
Independent Third Party Organizations
The BNQ • The Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (BNQ) is
accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as a Standards Development Organization and a Certification Body:
• Link: www.bnq.qc.ca
The BPI • The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is a
professional association of key individuals and groups from government, industry and academia, which promotes the use, and recycling of biodegradable polymeric materials (via composting).
• Link: www.bpiworld.org
