Lombard the Paper People – a Melbourne-based company – has launched a new sustainable takeaway coffee cup.
The Planet Saver cups are made from bamboo and lined with what the company calls “BioPBS”, a bio-based polybutylene succinate, which is a plant-based alternative to plastic.
Claude Lombard OAM, owner of Lombard The Paper People, said: “Now we have a cup made from renewable and sustainable bamboo.”
Pineapple Palm Cafe in Albert Park, Victoria, has changed to using Planet Saver cups. “It's great to welcome Melburnians back and more importantly to be able to find a new product that aligns with our values,” Pineapple Palm Cafe's owner, Adam Summerville, said.
The cups are certified with the Australian Standard AS 4736 and are compostible in industrial facilities.
According to the Australasian Bioplastics Association, the AS 4736 standard provides assessment criteria for plastic materials that are to be biodegraded in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities.
The association says: “In order to comply with the AS 4736‐2006, plastic materials need to meet the following requirements:
- minimum of 90 per cent biodegradation of plastic materials within 180 days in compost
- minimum of 90 per cent of plastic materials should disintegrate into less than 2mm pieces in compost within 12 weeks
- no toxic effect of the resulting compost on plants and earthworms
- hazardous substances such as heavy metals should not be present above the maximum allowed levels
- plastic materials should contain more than 50 per cent organic materials."
*This article has been updated to clarify the term "biodegradeable", which was used in the original title.
