It’s a sunny Saturday in Whistler. Music drifts across the park, food trucks are serving up lunch, and our Zero Waste Heroes stand at their stations in bright green vests. Their mission? Helping event-goers put their waste in the right place.
It sounds simple enough: food scraps in compost, bottles in recycling, garbage in landfill. But then someone approaches, iced coffee cup in hand. It’s stamped with a big green leaf and the word compostable. With the best intentions, they head straight for the compost bin.
“Actually,” says the Zero Waste Hero, “that one goes in landfill.”
The visitor blinks, confused. “But it says compostable.”
Sometimes people sigh and comply. Sometimes they argue. Sometimes they even shoot the messenger.
This summer, a large portion of the landfill waste our Zero Waste Heroes collected came from compostable plastic containers and cutlery.
The reality is that most so-called compostable plastics in Whistler – including cups, utensils, and takeout containers – cannot be processed in our local composting system. And that’s a problem worth unpacking.
How did we get here?
When shocking images of sea turtles tangled in straws and microplastics in our food supply made headlines, the world rushed to ditch single-use plastic. The solution seemed simple: swap plastic for something “eco-friendly.”
Suddenly, shelves were full of cups made from cornstarch, forks stamped “made from plants”, and containers with little green leaves. Businesses proudly made the switch, believing they were doing the right thing.
But swapping one throwaway for another didn’t solve the deeper issue: our dependency on single-use items. Worse, many of these new “green” products weren’t designed for real-world composting systems.
The Compostable Conundrum: Compostable plastics vs. Compostable fibreware
Not all compostables are created equal. Here’s the breakdown:
Compostable plastics (PLA, CPLA, etc.)
- Look like regular plastic but are made from cornstarch or sugarcane.
- Only break down under very high heat and long processing times – conditions that our local composting facility (and most across B.C.) can’t achieve.
- End up contaminating compost streams and going to landfill.
Compostable fibreware (paper, bamboo, wood)
- Includes paper cups lined with compostable coatings or wooden cutlery.
- Break down more easily and are accepted in Whistler’s compost system.
- Often carry the BPI Certified logo, which helps vendors and attendees identify products that truly belong in compost.
The difference matters. Compostable plastics in the wrong bin can contaminate an entire load of organic food scraps.
And our Zero Waste Heroes see this play out again and again at public events.
What the law says
Recognizing the problem, B.C. introduced the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation:
- Since December 2023: compostable plastic utensils have been banned.
- As of July 15, 2024: compostable/biodegradable plastic cups, takeout containers, plates, and bowls are also banned.
The province has officially grouped compostable plastics with other hard-to-recycle materials like Styrofoam, acknowledging that they simply don’t work in most compost systems.
The exception is paper or fibre-based food serviceware, such as takeout containers and cups, that are only lined with a thin compostable plastic coating, which most composting systems can process.
So, what can we do instead?
At the top of the waste hierarchy is prevention: avoiding single-use items altogether. That might look like:
- Skipping the straw or lid if you don’t really need it
- Bringing your own coffee cup (bonus: some Whistler cafés offer discounts)
- Carrying a reusable fork or set of utensils for festival days
When disposables are unavoidable, here’s what to look for:
Vendors & event organizers:
- Choose wooden or bamboo cutlery.
- Stick to fibreware that’s accepted locally, like paper cups with compostable linings, bamboo or wooden utensils. Look for the BPI Certified logo to help guide your choices.
- Partner with reuse programs such as Sharewares, which provide reusable cups, containers, and cutlery for events.
- Finally, while we aim to avoid plastics altogether, a recyclable plastic cup is still a better choice than a “compostable” plastic cup that will end up in landfill.
And remember the golden rule: when in doubt, leave it out. This keeps our compost stream clean and our soils healthy.
Zero Waste Heroes: On the Frontlines of Change
This summer alone, our Zero Waste Heroes helped thousands of residents and visitors sort their waste at public events and parks. Time and again, they have explained that a compostable plastic fork or cup still belongs in landfill.
It’s not always easy being the messenger – but each conversation prevents contamination, keeps compost streams clean, and protects the mountain environment we all love.
Learn More
Government of B.C. Compostable Plastics Guidance
This campaign is made possible thanks to the generous support of GFL Environmental.
