Tee Cee's Tip for Monday, May 23, 2022

Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·4 min read

May 22—Dear Tee Cee,

I have a question about compostable forks, plates, cups, etc. A few months ago, I put some compostable forks in my backyard compost bin, and while they have broken down a little bit, they're a long way from being fully composted, while everything else around them is fully broken down. I think it will take well over a year for the forks to fully compost at this rate! Are compostable forks not really compostable?

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

That's an appropriate question as we wrap up Compost Awareness Month! (Maybe you didn't know May is Compost Awareness Month, but you're in the groove.)

Your certified compostable forks are compostable, just not in your backyard compost.

Here's the deal: There is a difference between what can go into your backyard compost bin and what should only go into your curbside compost cart for industrial-scale composting.

The difference comes from the fact that the composting process at the industrial facility is able to reach far-higher temperatures than a backyard compost bin, so the list of what can be included for each is different.

Let's break it down (pun intended):

Backyard composting

First of all, if you're a backyard composter, good for you! You are preventing the need for your organic discards to travel to be turned into compost and making good use of them right where you live! For backyard composting, you can include certain food scraps (not all!) and yard debris that easily break down, such as fruit and veggie scraps, yard clippings and dried leaves.

Some backyard composters find that paper products such as coffee filters, paper towels and paper napkins also break down in their backyard bins, while those who are perhaps a little more passive with their backyard compost bin (and therefore not "cooking" their compost at temperatures as high as others) struggle to get these materials to break down.

If you're in the latter category, read on for curbside compost guidelines.

Note: If you're surprised to learn that paper products like paper towels and napkins are compostable, remember that they come from trees and are therefore carbon, which is needed to balance out nitrogen-rich food scraps and yard waste.

To get more details on what is appropriate for backyard composting, go to ecocycle.org/recycle-compost-reuse/compost to see our list of compostable materials and to learn the ins and outs of backyard composting.

Industrial composting

Industrial composting facilities can accept anything that can go in a backyard compost bin and more. Industrial composters create giant piles of organic material, or "windrows," which get much hotter than your backyard compost and therefore can break down larger or more-durable compostable items, such as those plant-based forks you have, as well as meat, bones, dairy scraps and chipped tree branches, as well as those paper products such as paper towels or soggy cardboard.

Concerning your compostable fork, as well as other compostable products like cups and plates specifically designed to be composted, check the product labeling to see if it is BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) Certified Compostable to be sure the product is actually compostable.

For a full list of what can be composted at the curb as well as guidelines for checking product labeling for compostability, visit ecocycle.org/compost.

If you don't have curbside composting service, but would like to, you can sign up for just $6 per month. Visit the City of Longmont's website at longmontcolorado.gov.

A final note on composting for your backyard or curbside cart: The biggest contamination in compost is plastic. Plastic bags, plastic-coated papers like paper plates and coffee cups, and plastic produce stickers don't fully decompose. Instead, they break down into microplastics, plastic particles so small they can easily work their way into our water, soil, food and bodies. Please do not ever bag your compostables with a plastic bag or put plastic-coated paper products in your curbside compost cart.

There is so much more to learn about composting! If you have more questions about composting, send Eco-Cycle an email at recycle@ecocycle.org or call us at 303-444-6634.

Tee Cee

Have Zero Waste questions? Want to become a volunteer Eco-Cycle Eco-Leader? Let us know at Rosie@ecocycle.org.