| Hi Blair:
I know nothing of their product, but Dispozo President Lancia's claim that there is some useful distinction between biodegradable and compostable is just product hype in my opinion. Composting uses biological processes and organisms to degrade or decompose carboniferous discards, so composting is biodegradation.
He also gets the biology of landfilling wrong, I believe. Subtitle D dry tomb landfills retard decomposition and biodegradation by keeping moisture out. This goes for Dispozo products the same as for anything else. Remember Professor Bill Rathje's discovery that dug-up landfilled chicken still looked like chicken and papers could still be read years after burial?
No doubt the Dispozo products are everything they say they are, but to say they are better than the competition's because they are biodegradable, "not only compostable", is to create a fictional distinction.
Dan Knapp Urban Ore, Inc., a Berkeley reuse and recycling business since 1980 On Jul 30, 2008, at 2:53 PM, Blair Pollock wrote: Does anyone know about the claims this company is making for its product 'environware'? I am not at all sure it's a truly compostable (as opposed to 'biodegradable'?) product and hope someone can provide some insight here? The dining services at UNC Chapel Hill just selected them as their vendor for 'disposables'. Emphasis below is not mine. Blair Pollock Solid Waste Planner Orange County Solid Waste Management Department P.O. Box 17177 Chapel Hill, NC 27516-7177 (919) 968-2788 or direct: (919) 968-2800 x161 (919) 932-2900 fax enviroware? products are formulated to interact with micro-organisms that are present in standard landfills, composting landfills and in our natural environment. These micro-organisms attack the molecular structure of the plastic and metabolize those structures, breaking it down into organic compounds. enviroware?products do not contain any dyes or pigments that could be harmful to the environment. In addition, enviroware? plates, trays, bowls and hinged containers are the only plastic resin based products in the world that are both 100% biodegradable and are manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner that does not use hydrocarbons in the manufacturing process. http://www.dispozo.com/ Breakthrough in Biodegradable Plastic Dispoz-o Products, Inc., one of the largest domestic manufacturers of disposable products for the food service industry, has developed a revolutionary line of 100% biodegradable plastic cutlery, straws, stirrers, plates, trays, hinged containers and bowls. enviroware? is certified by an independent testing agency as 100% biodegradable. In addition, enviroware? is FDA approved and meets the strictest standards of the Food Grade HACCP certification from AIB. enviroware? products are formulated to interact with micro-organisms that are present in standard landfills, composting landfills and in our natural environment. These micro-organisms attack the molecular structure of the plastic and metabolize those structures, breaking it down into organic compounds. enviroware?products do not contain any dyes or pigments that could be harmful to the environment. In addition, enviroware? plates, trays, bowls and hinged containers are the only plastic resin based products in the world that are both 100% biodegradable and are manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner that does not use hydrocarbons in the manufacturing process. ?There have been a lot of products introduced into the market claiming to be biodegradable when in fact these products are not biodegradable but only compostable?, states Joseph Lancia, President & CEO of Dispoz-o Products. ?The major difference between our enviroware? products and these compostable products is that the compostable products have to be sorted, segregated and taken to large industrial composting landfills in order for them to degrade. This takes additional labor and time, and there are very few industrial composting landfills available in the US. Therefore, most of these compostable products end up in standard landfills where they do not degrade. These compostable products are typically very expensive, have an inferior quality and appearance, and deteriorate when exposed to heat. So in the end, the consumer has paid a premium for a product that is inferior and is not truly biodegradable. Our enviroware? line of products are cost effective, maintain the same properties and characteristics of our standard plastic products, require no special handling, are recyclable and 100% certified biodegradable. This is truly a revolutionary breakthrough.?
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