If you’re conscious about what you put in your body (superfoods instead of processed foods and added sugars), then chances are you also care about the environment. 

You don’t just take the lazy, cavalier approach when it’s time to take the trash out. On the contrary, you meticulously sort recyclable items and make sure they are free of debris that otherwise may make them unrecyclable and thus add to the landfill. 

But there’s an inconvenient truth to recycling…

A good percentage of the plastic you place in the recycling bin will not be recycled. As The Sierra Club states in this article, the U.S. recycling system is garbage!

A Broken Recycling System

In 2018, after nearly 30 years of importing American recyclables, China abruptly stopped the practice. WIthout being able to dump its least-profitable garbage on China and developing economies, the U.S. is now left holding the plastic bag. 

With a booming middle class of its own that are buying lots of stuff in packaging that can be recycled, China no longer needs American trash. Furthermore, China, although it has a long way to go, is shoring up its environmental sustainability practices, so much so that it may surpass the U.S. in sustainability goals by the end of 2020, says 5GYRES.ORG, a research organization dedicated to fighting plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

Consequently, less than 10% of plastic is now recycled in the U.S. That’s something to think about next time you take out the trash. 

The silver lining to China’s no longer serving as a dumping ground for the world’s trash is that the U.S. must now figure out a way to make recycling more efficient. 

Until then, what can you do about the plastic predicament? 

You can make a profound difference by cutting down on the following items, which are the top 5 sources of single use plastic:

• Plastic bags (Use canvas, reusable bags at supermarkets)
• Water bottles (Buy a high-quality water filter for your home)
• To-go containers (Invest in airtight reusable containers and bring them to restaurants)
• Takeaway cups (Bring your own coffee mug)
• Straws (Bamboo straws are an eco-friendly alternative)

The BōKU Solution To Reducing Plastic

At BōKU Superfood we are doing our part to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and oceans. 

We have recently made the shift to compostable packaging. 

 

Thanks to the sustainable company, Rootree, BōKU Superfood powders are now made from renewable, non-GMO materials. 

To be clear, our new packaging goes far beyond “biodegradable.” As Rootree explains on its website, biodegradable is a misleading term. You can think of it as the ambiguous “natural” label given to foods and supplements. 

Biodegradable might sound beneficial for the environment. But the truth is that some pouches that are labeled biodegradable actually contain petroleum. Enzymes are added to the pouches to speed up the breakdown of the packaging.

While breaking down faster seems like a good thing, it’s a Band-Aid approach. It doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, biodegradable pouches do not actually decompose, they break down into smaller and smaller components, adding to the 8 million metric tons of plastic that enter the ocean each year.  

BōKU Superfood Compostable Pouches

Our new packaging falls in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” We want to play our part in solving the world’s microplastic problem. That’s why we have invested in compostable packaging, which can fully compost in as little as 8 months. 

And beyond the environmental benefits, our new compostable pouches offer our loyal customers the following benefits:

• Longer shelf life
• Easier to open packaging

 

If you want to follow best environmental practices with our new packaging, please compost our pouches at your home. Don’t have a composter … worms give you the willies? Then take your pouches to a friend, neighbor or farmers market that has a composting bin. 

Every single item on our new eco-friendly pouches are compostable, from the ink to the film, zipper and adhesive. However, because our packaging looks just like traditional plastic packaging, if you throw the pouch in the recycling bin, there’s a good chance it will end up in the landfill. The good news is that if your BoKU pouch does end up in the landfill, it will break down fast without leaching harmful residues.

But if your goal is preventing more trash from entering the landfill and you don’t have access to a composting bin (or can’t find anybody that has one), you can simply reuse your BoKU pouches. Or, you can set them aside because one day in the near future, waste management companies will collect compostable pouches. 

Until then, take comfort in knowing that BoKU Superfood supports your health, and thanks to our new compostable packaging, is contributing to the health of the planet.