These Fiestas Patrias are the first under the Single-Use Plastics Law, in force since February of this year and which prohibits food service providers from delivering plastic bulbs, revolvers, chopsticks and cutlery, as part of the first stage of implementation.
These preparations have meant a 30% increase in sales of compostable utensils in the last month in the case of the Chilean company Ceroplas, which sells forks, spoons, knives and glasses made with corn starch, plates and food carriers for delivery made with natural sugarcane fibers, and wheat cane bulbs, all 100% compostable.
“In the Fiestas Patrias last year we started selling cutlery and compostable dishes for use mainly by homes. With the validity of the law and the return of inns after the pandemic, we are selling to individuals, inns, restaurants and fast food outlets. We expect our sales of compostable food utensils to grow 40% this year compared to last year,” explains Rodrigo Cantergiani, general manager of the company.
According to the executive, “it is expected that in the inns and ramadas the regulations are complied with. Although the control falls to the municipalities according to the law, consumers are the first inspectors.”
Recover and reuse waste
With the validity of this regulation, it is expected that the large volume of plastic garbage generated in Fiestas Patrias will be reduced. With the Law, an annual reduction of 23 thousand tons of single-use plastics is projected. Plastic cutlery takes around 400 years to degrade, while plastic cups and plates take 50 years.
In the case of compostable utensils, once used and discarded they can be added to an industrial composter and between 180 and 540 days they will be transformed into humus and fertilizer for the earth.
Sugarcane dishes are resistant to hot and cold meals, and can even be used in microwaves. Corn cutlery has good rigidity and withstands temperatures up to 85 degrees Celsius.
“Compostable utensils for inn food can be set aside along with other organic waste – such as fruit and vegetable scraps – to be removed by an industrial composting company. In the case of homes, compostable utensils are an alternative for those who do not want to wash dishes and cutlery, but seek to reuse and recover waste, “concludes the executive.
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