For the most part, whenever possible, we all prefer to use reusable bags, cloth napkins, and glass containers to store our leftovers in the fridge. That said, for those moments when life happens, or you work in a plastic wrap reliant, fast-paced kitchen, you can now find several BPI certified fully compostable cling wraps on the market, like For Good + Zefiro. Now, of course, you should always check your composting facility to see what they accept. But these clings are made with PLA & Biobased PBAT plants that meet internationally recognized standards to safely biodegrade, break down into carbon and water, in a home or commercial composting facility. It’s high-performance cling, doesn’t compromise strength or firmness by including pre-perforated sheets. Both brands have successfully made the packaging fully compostable and recyclable, by eliminating the blade and keeping this packaging plastic free.
And then there’s Great Wrap, an Australian biomaterials company, that offers another alternative to cling film that’s made from discarded potato skins and packaged in an abnormally alluring and fun container with a built-in cutter.
The wrap naturally biodegrades in as little as 180 days into food and energy for the microbes in your compost. For all intents and purposes, its components are organic – discarded potato skins, cooking oil, and starch from the cassava root – more popularly known as tapioca. So, if ingested, it isn’t toxic or harmful, but don’t go putting it on the menu.
Currently, the Australia-based company sources its potato skins/peels from Idaho, which dramatically increases its carbon footprint. They are working on being able to find local sources for discarded potato skins, to help reduce their overall carbon impact.
Another barrier is the fact that Great Wrap doesn’t break down or degrade in marine environments like ocean ecosystems. But by working with researchers at Melbourne’s Monash University, they are close to converting potato waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which can break down in oceans and other aquatic environments in less than a year. In 2023 they launched in the US and will begin building their PHA biorefinery that will divert over 50,000 metric tons of potato waste from landfills every year.
And that’s no small potatoes.
To purchase Great Wrap, visit greatwrap.co.
