compostable
products
NOW You can compost YOUR FORK, KNIFE, AND SPOON!
Compostable paper and plastic products are defined as any single-use item utilized to serve food to customers that will breakdown into compost. Being able to compost your organic waste with some of your consumer waste keeps even more items out of traditional waste streams and is a great environmentally friendly solution.
There are now a number of manufacturers of compostable products offering single-use products ranging in scope from food trays to cups, from forks to compostable spoons, and everything in between.
It still sounds simple, everybody should do this! What's the catch?
While we encourage our customers to explore the compostable product alternatives available, the truth is that while there is a wide variety of "compostable" items, many of them are processed in different ways. At TOR, we only accept items that are certified for windrow composting. This is the method that we utilize for commercial composting, adding our "browns" and "greens" into a long pile called a windrow.
St. Louis Composting's Belleville, IL windrow composting facility.
A specialized windrow turner rotating the compost and introducing oxygen to the row.
With this consideration, if you want to explore these eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics and paper serving products, you can visit our friends at the Composting Manufacturers Alliance (CMA) to select items in a wide variety of design styles and capacities that are tested and certified compostable for the windrow method of composting. On their website, you will find items designated at CMA-W. Any product listed there with this designation is accepted by Total Organics Recycling. If you have questions about other products under consideration, feel free to call us for clarification and acceptance.
If you require any further assistance, feel free to contact Laura Gale at 636-825-6206 and we'll help you find a compostable product solution!