The Loma Prietan
February 2001
An Alternative to Throw-Away
by Miriam Reiter
A fundamental factor in the decision that the 2000 Olympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia was the city’s comprehensive proposal aiming to make the Olympics as "green" as possible. To maximize success, coordinators used a range of completely biodegradable products. These products, made by Biocorp, Inc., are derived from corn starch, and can decompose into compost. They have passed strict tests for biodegradability and compostability.
The product line includes eating utensils, hot and cold cups, lids, straws, and waste collection bags, as well as shopping and grocery bags. The company’s web site, www.BiocorpUSA.com, contains a program outline designed to get cities to convert their organic waste into compost. Entitled "My City Trash Free," the program uses biodegradable bags in municipal garbage collection systems. Business concerns always involve costs; the program claims to save on disposal costs that businesses must pay, since the fee to dispose of compost materials is only half the cost of the fee charged to dump landfill garbage. The University of Massachusetts, for example, using Biocorp’s biodegradable bags to collect food waste at its Boston campus, is realizing a savings of 35 percent on disposal costs. The program benefits the environment by creating nutrient-rich compost and in the process, helps reserve limited landfill space for materials that cannot decompose. A second article delving into cost analysis of using biodegradable bags is also posted on the site. Organic waste makes up about 40 percent of all garbage; composting instead of landfill dumping is a "win-win" alternative. Italy, Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands are already disposing of their organic waste in this way.
Biocorp’s products are beginning to be used in this country, but are more prevalent overseas. McDonald’s restaurant uses their cutlery in Germany, Austria, and Sweden. In densely populated Japan, incineration takes place within major cities because there is no other place to put the incinerator. Burning certain types of regular plastic materials releases adverse health substances such as dioxin. Using Biocorp’s bags will improve air quality for Japanese residents because they are clean burning.
Biocorp has offices all over the world and is headquartered in Redondo Beach, California. Phone them at 888/206-5658.