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CORNY PLATES AND FORKS FOR YOUR PICNIC.
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, August 10, 2003

State Senator Wesley Chesbro had his annual picnic on Mare Island in July. Each year I help his staff make the event a little greener. Planning a green picnic is more difficult than having a green party. I recommend borrowing or renting dinnerware for indoor events. Picnics are more casual and, unfortunately, people are accustomed to throw-away plates, cups and cutlery.

Now that has changed. Biodegradable and compostable picnicware is available to the public. For Senator Chesbo’s picnic, food was placed on EarthShell plates and bowls. Earthware cutlery were handed out and drinks were served in Nature Green glasses. And yes, biodegradable paper napkins were used.

EarthShell disposable dinnerware is made from polymers extracted from corn, potatoes or soybeans with an addition of limestone and sand. EarthShell plates look like Styrofoam plates and have a coating of polymers to prevent premature composting. All items are non-toxic, water-resistant, vegetable oil proof, and some are heat tolerant and microwavable. EarthShell has designed clamshell packaging for McDonald's, but McDonald’s hasn’t taken the bait.

Earthware tableware is made from corn or wheat polymers. The corn forks and spoons will soften when placed in really hot food while the wheat version will not.The Nature Green glasses look like their PETE cousins but are a little more flexible.

The reappearance of these products may have been spurred by last year’s Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Organizers wanted a trash-free event and planned to recycle or compost up to 85 percent of the items used at the games. A host of compostable items such as wooden stir sticks, biodegradable dinnerware were used and composted.

Wild Oats grocery stores in the Pacific northwest are using corn-tainers for the food they sell. People can throw these containers into their compost bins along with kitchen scraps. Alternatively, consumers can return the packaging to Wild Oats who will ship it to an Oregon company where it will be composted. Wild Oats plans to begin using corn-tainers at 77 stores nationwide by the fall.

Back to the Senator’s picnic. Since I was in the mountains, Sierra Club member Kenn Browne took on the task of guarding the recycling, trash and compost barrels. People joined in by throwing vegetable and fruit waste in the compost bucket along with their napkins, plates, bowls, cups, spoons and forks. Meat scraps and plastic went into the trash. Cans and bottles were recycled. Belle Orpilla reported that everyone enjoy the new picnicware with some trying to speed up the composting process by sucking on them like a popsicle.

Several people asked what the difference is between biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. A biodegradable item is capable of being decomposed by biological agents such as the bacteria in compost. Compostable means that the material will break down in a composting pile into a substance that is used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients to plants. Recyclable generally means that the item can be made into a new item that Is similar to the original item. That works for aluminum, steel, and glass. Rarely does a plastic soda bottle find a new life as another soda bottle.

There are two drawbacks to this green picnicware. The first is price. Unless you order in huge amounts, the price may be double the costs of plastic and paper disposable products.

The second problem is composting. One needs to be an experienced composter to handle this waste or have a local commercial compost operation that is certified to take food waste. If not, these green products will be buried in the landfill where they will not decompose.

Where can one purchase green picnicware? According to a review in the June issue of Good Housekeeping, EarthShell dinnerware is available at Wal-Mart for approximately $2 for 25 plates or 30 bowls. Unfortunately, our local Wal-Mart does not carry it.

I ordered from Green Earth Office Supply (www.GreenEarthOfficeSupply.com, 800 327-8449). You can also contact Simply Biodegradable (www.simplybiodegradable.com, 1 866 782-2371) or Earthware at 1 800 221-6747. VALCORE will keep a sample of these items in the office trailer.

COMPOSTING CLASS
Vallejo’s next composting class will be held at VALCORE on Saturday, August 16 from 10am to Noon. Two BioStack bins will be given away and each participant will receive a composting book. For more information call 707 55-EARTH.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org

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