As single-use plastic waste maintains its spot at the top of the environmental agenda, we are seeing a transition in the direction of sustainable practices and products. There has been a recent rise in a number of organisations moving towards using compostable products. With Waitrose announcing this month that it is replacing plastic fruit and veg bags with compostable ones – to seeing Compostable cutlery, coffee cups, salad boxes and straws being introduced in Parliament as it seeks to eliminate "avoidable" single-use plastic by 2019. BBC1 Panorama "Drowning in plastic" this week also highlighted how this issue has become a global epidemic.
"This indestructible substance can be treated as ‘disposable’. We can solve this problem and we can do it by educating and engaging everyone in a conversation to rethink plastic."
Compostable products are a subset of biodegradable products. This means, as well as biodegrading, they also meet certain criteria under controlled conditions. These items will only break down in the right conditions, so it is key that organisations offering these products ensure they reach composting facilities once they have been used.
Disposal & composting conditions for our range products which contain PLA include being recycled with your food waste, and then taken to industrial composting facility or they can be put in your home compost bin. Commercially compostable products will biodegrade by 90% within 6 months.
To support this change, we are starting to think about the way we use plastic. We have now introduced new compostable cup options to our range, in order to help customers reduce their carbon footprint & improve their green credentials. Our cups are made using certified PLA-lined paperboard instead of plastic. These are available in 8oz or 12oz single or triple ripple walled. At only 2p extra per cup verses traditional plastic lined, its a small step to making a big impact and change to the environment. If you are already recycling responsibly with a recycling scheme such as the one provided by Simply Cups https://simplycups.co.uk/ then you are already ahead of the game.
Not sure if compostable is right for you? Get in touch as we would be happy to send you a FREE sample of the product* so that you can see for yourself the durability and quality of the product. Current customers can click here to get a FREE* sample with your next scheduled delivery. If you are not a current customer please contact us to register.
'Plastic Pollution' The Facts Are Overwhelming
- We are now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single use.
- More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year, and by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish, according to research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
- We have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and estimates are that around 50% of plastic is used just once and thrown away.
- Packaging is the largest end use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.
Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute
In the UK 38.5m plastic bottles are used every day – only just over half make it to recycling, around 40% are put into landfill, burnt or leak into the environment and oceans each day.
*Please note the Free sample is for customers who have an account with Crown Water & Coffee. If you are interested in becoming a customer please contact us here to request and account. Numbers of samples are limited and will be given on a first come first serve basis.
Not sure what cup to use? - Take a look at our info-graphic for more information.
