People are becoming more acutely aware of how harmful plastic is to our environment, especially to our rivers and oceans. In response, many packaging companies in South Africa are switching to compostable packaging to try and reduce the use of plastics. Compostable packaging has its own challenges and the Organics Recycling Association of South Africa is concerned that the switch to compostable materials may result in damage to our soils and long term food production.
“Compostable products (including coffee cups, bagasse plates and cups and cutlery made from Poly-lactic acid) are required to be tested in a laboratory to ensure that they breakdown in a defined period of time (usually 83 days depending on the standard used) and do not leave a harmful chemical residue that could potential affect plant or animal health,” explains Melanie Ludwig, founder of Zero to Landfill Organics and original member of the Organics Recycling Association of South Africa.
There are several international certification systems already in use and any imported products should be labeled with a conformity label and registration number. This makes it possible for a composter to be able to check a product’s compostability certificate on a central database. Unfortunately, there are many products entering South Africa that are marked “Compostable” that are in fact not compostable and contaminate compost and soils with micro-plastics and other chemicals.
