Disposables and Packaging

Packaging and disposable plastics make up a large amount of the waste we send to landfill. Plastics are most often made from non-renewable fossil oils. Oil-based plastic is not biodegradable and will stay intact for hundreds or thousands of years.

Instead of using oil to make plastic we can use starch, which is derived from plants. Starch-derived plastic is biodegradable, which means that it will break down naturally in the soil or in compost heaps.

Some starch-based plastics will break down in a home compost heap in a few weeks. Others will take longer, or may require industrial composting (i.e. collection in local authority green bins).

Browse categories

• Bags

  Plastic bags are often made from oil, which is a fossil fuel. Oil-based plastic bags are not biodegradable: this means that we send billions of them to landfill each year, and they will still be here in hundreds of years time.

• Supermarkets

  Supermarkets could be an extremely powerful weapon against climate change: they supply millions of people with fuel, packaging, disposables, household supplies and food.

• Food Packaging

  Food packaging is most commonly made from fossil oils. However, much of this packaging could easily be replaced by renewable packaging made from plant starch.

• Plastic Plates and Picnic Ware

  Some things are designed to be thrown away. Usually, cutting down on disposable products is the best environmental choice, but if you want to use disposable plates and cutlery, you can choose to buy renewable-based products.