Vegware

Information for businesses regarding Vegware and its disposal.

Dawlish Against Plastic has been working with businesses to help them to find ways of reducing their single use plastics but we have become aware that many people, while looking for suitable alternatives, have settled on compostable products such as Vegware.

Unfortunately, although these products are compostable and are made from plant sources you need to read their written statements in some depth before you realise that these products are only compostable in industrial composters.

We do not have a facility of this nature in the area at the present time.

Advice received from Liz Burston – Recycling Officer at Teignbridge District Council

‘Unfortunately, anaerobic digestion facilities cannot accept this kind of packaging as it is intended for industrial composting facilities only. (Anaerobic digestion facilities are used to deal with our food waste in Teignbridge.)

Therefore, if these items are placed in on street bins the waste will end up going to energy from waste facilities along with the rest of the litter and domestic general waste.

Instead we encourage reusable packaging as a better alternative, if possible. Some card packaging for food can be recycled in domestic collections if not too heavily contaminated with food.

Our split recycling bins can take plastics and cans so we encourage on the go recycling via these bins.’ (These are the public litter bins seen around town.)

Advice from Vegware in response to enquiries made by Vicky Bridle from Dawlish Against Plastic

‘Unfortunately we don’t have a Vegware collection in your area at the moment. We are always working hard to expand access to composting for our customers.

I would recommend at the moment to place Vegware in general waste. Whilst this may seem disheartening it is useful to know that in the UK general waste is increasingly being sent to incineration to produce energy for the grid.

At these facilities our products perform well and produce a good amount of energy, in addition they do not release toxic gases and fewer volatile gases than plastic alternatives.

There are obviously all of the front end benefits of using Vegware such as the product being made from plants a renewable resource rather than oil a finite resource.’

https://www.vegware.com/compostingfaq/info_85.html

Dawlish Against Plastic suggest that businesses advise customers to place Vegware products in black bins if taken home.

Best wishes from,

The Dawlish Against Plastic team.