Sustainable packaging company BioPak has launched Australia’s first comprehensive composting service for foodservice packaging, including paper coffee cups.
The move is designed to divert food scraps and foodservice packaging from landfill.
BioPak CEO Gary Smith said the new service would allow customers to dispose of used coffee cups and BioPak compostable takeaway food packaging in specially designed collection bins at their local cafes or workplaces.
He said the service would initially cover most areas in Sydney’s CBD and inner suburbs.
“By bringing together waste contractors and compost facility operators we are able to offer a sustainable end of life solution for our products,” Smith said.
The service already has customers like Allpress coffee roasters, local cafes, and a major financial institution, which has implemented the program at their Sydney head office.
The special compost bins will be collected weekly and sent to commercial facilities to be composted – and in only eight weeks, they will be turned into nutritious soil compost for gardens or farms.
BioPak founder Richard Fine said the aim of the service was to ensure the environmental benefit of compostable, single-use disposable packaging could be maximised, helping customers in reducing the environmental impact of their business.
He said BioPak products provided a compostable alternative to the standard plastic, single-use food service packaging that was normally made from finite fossil resources.
“There is a growing awareness of the environmental impact of single use plastics," he said.
"We need to work to stem the flow of plastics into our oceans and to replace durable plastics derived from fossil resources as a material of choice for products that last for generations but have a functional life measured in minutes.”
