Sun Chips® Introducing a Compostable Bag

You may have seen the commercials for Sun Chip's® new compostable bag. In the works for over a year, they are launching their new packaging for Earth Day. Sun Chips® is a product of Frito Lay.

The bag can be composted because it's biodegradable, which means it will break down, reportedly over 14 -16 weeks, when it's in an active hot compost environment. This means it will probably not break down quickly in your local landfill, but since it's degradeable it will eventually decompose. I thought it was amusing they explain on their website that this material makes the bag louder. I guess that would throw some consumers off, wondering what the heck's going on with the bags.

The bag is made of "plants" according to their website, technically PLA. PLA stands for polylactic acid which is made of corn starch or sugar cane. When you see biodegradeable tableware "made from corn" or "made from sugar cane" it's made from PLA. PLA is a renewable alternative to petroleum based plastics.

Is there a down side? Potentially, as it depends on what additives might be used, as well as on the source of the corn or sugar cane used in a product. Clearly, if it's corn that has been genetically modified or pesticide treated (which frankly, it probably is) when it breaks down it's going to leave this residue in your compost as well. If you use your compost for organic vegetables, this would be of particular concern.

Once the product is out on the market, which we're told will be soon, I'm sure the packaging will be tested and analyzed by others. The critical analytical side of me says this could be the start of a new empire for the fungicide and pesticide based corn barons. That remains to be seen. In the meantime, it's a huge step and Frito Lay gets my approval for starting the commercial move toward sustainable packaging. I won't be composting the bags in my home composter however, not knowing the source of the corn or what additives they may have used.

Wasting Our Health

Arguably the most important, but most difficult, goal of the environmental "movement" is the work to reduce waste. Successful waste reduction would save billions in resources, pollutants and health care costs. Indeed, the movement at the beginning of the 20th century emphasized the oft recited mantra to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Many have worked hard to reduce waste in their towns, homes and businesses. Yet it's clear most larger businesses such as catering facilities, groceries and hospitals haven't bothered to try and cut their costs through waste reduction alternatives.

Some days it seems everywhere you look there's a blatant lack of thought about how our waste habits affect our health. For example these days everyone provides water at their event locations - in one time use plastic bottles, and rarely with a recycling receptacle to dispose of them after use. They create toxins in their creation and end up in the garbage to go to a landfill or incinerator where they will decompose and pollute our water, our soil, or burn and pollute the air we breath. You can learn more about plastic waste concerns here.

Food and health care are two areas where the issue seems so clear cut it's hard to believe we've made so little progress. The simple notion of overpackaging has, for the most part, escaped the scrutiny of the marketing and packaging indutries. Instead of marketing to minimize waste to improve our lives, we are still surrounded by products encased in several layers of plastic with multiple sheets of printed material inside. Finally, just in the last couple of years we've begun to see some product's operating manuals and reference materials being published online.

It's still appallingly common to purchase food that's over wrapped. It's interesting, at least to those of us who like to observe consumer trends and behavior, to peek into garbage cans when out at the mall or in a public space. For the most part you see food or food wrapping. Thankfully our fast food restaurants have started to reduce their packaging . We've gone from styrofoam boxes that create poisons when burned to cardboard and paper wrap that will easily decompose. As someone who frequently takes leftover food home when eating out, it would also be nice to see more restaurants go from styrofoam containers to reusable, recyclable take home containers. It's unfortunate most retaurants are still resistant to letting a patron bring their own container for leftovers so reusable ones are the next best thing. My holiday leftovers find their way to my guests homes in reused take out containers. I make sure they know what restaurant they're from; thoughtful business practices lead to free PR.

The medical establishment is an area where the need to reduce waste for health would seem to be a natural  concept. There's  interesting piece on Earth.911.com on the environmental considerations, including waste reduction, in our health care system. It looks at the current version of the proposed health care bill. The plan gets credit for reducing paper through establishing centralized medical databases, something many health providers are moving toward already. This would eliminate the hundreds of files maintained in each doctors office; ideally giving a physician easy access to the information they need to treat a condition will eliminate unnecessary tests as well.

It points out however, that until we begin to base our heath care system on maintaining optimal health through healthy living and disease prevention instead of  disease management, we won't see the reduction in waste or costs we could be experiencing.   Since disease management through medication and medical procedures is currently more lucrative for many, including our pharmaceutical companies, a good health care plan needs to incorporate  incentives to address the prevention alternatives.

Completing research on the effects of pollutants that affect our health and addressing those that are contributing to disease should be a cornerstone of health reform. While this would benefit everyone, those that resist the concept of health care for all might be intrigued to look at the studies showing that those who can afford health care the least are often the same souls who are exposed the most to cancer causing pollutants and cheap nutritionless food. Reducing medications would be healthier not only because of the direct results, but also in lieu of the pollution of our waterways.

We need to give folks a fighting chance to maintain their health on their own. We are so stuck on the cost and methods of providing health care to our country, it doesn't seem that our legislators could handle the additional consideration of disease prevention to reduce health care costs. It is hopeful though that the issues are being raised so they can become a part of the national conversation. 

When we can agree to reduce the sources of pollutants that make us sick, that's when we will  have a nation committed to true waste reduction, and our citizens can take back control of their health with control of the waste stream.