Café patrons in Perth will be encouraged to compost their disposable coffee cups as part of a national composting service launched by BioPak.
Perth cafes are joining forces with the sustainable packaging company in a move designed to divert food scraps and food service packaging from landfill.
Under the service, customers will be able to dispose of used coffee cups and BioPak compostable takeaway food packaging in specially designed collection bins placed at their local cafes or workplaces.
The compost bins will be collected weekly and sent to commercial facilities to be composted – and in only eight weeks, they will be turned into soil compost for gardens or farms.
BioPak founder Richard Fine said the aim of the service was to ensure that the environmental benefit of compostable, single use disposable packaging could be maximised, helping customers reduce the environmental impact of their business.
“In Australia, we send more than eight million tonnes of organic waste to landfill every year, including 1.5 million tonnes of food waste,” Fine said.
“The problem with this is that when food waste decomposes in landfills, it releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, resulting in enormous damage to our environment.
“Switching to compostable food service packaging, including compostable coffee cups, can divert much of this material from going to landfill.”
Watch a video about Perth cafe Yelo's take-up of the service:
