Richard Feldman is trying to put himself out of the plastic business.
For years, Feldman, an importer of plastic containers, gave little thought to the nation's overflowing landfills. But that changed when he realized that many of his customers, including Whole Foods Market Inc., were going green.
"I will lose the business someday," said Feldman, the founder of Los Angeles-based Clear Creek Compostables. "I just want to lose it to myself."
It's already happening. Last year, Feldman began importing biodegradable plates and bowls from China that are composed of 90% sugar-cane pulp and 10% paper.
He also is making clear containers from a corn-based resin developed by NatureWorks, a subsidiary of food supplier Cargill Inc.
"I've spent a career filling landfills. Now, it's time to reverse that," said Feldman, who calls himself a "born-again environmentalist."
Compostable products are a tiny fraction of America's $8-billion-to-$12-billion-a-year container and packaging industry, according to the Foodservice & Packaging Institute Inc. in Falls Church, Va. But demand is growing as companies migrate to more environmentally friendly operations in such areas as energy and water consumption as well as in the products they sell and use.
Compostable products biologically decompose in an oxygen-rich process used by industrial facilities.
In addition to being biodegradable, Feldman's products are made from a renewable resource that is a byproduct of sugar production. The plates and bowls -- which can be used in the microwave and will hold boiling water -- are sold at Whole Foods, Sam's Club and a number of independent natural food stores.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year, Americans discard about 14.4 million tons of plastic-- 8% of total waste. Much of the container and packaging waste ends up in landfills, which produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is blamed for contributing significantly to global warming. Rising oil prices also have pushed up the cost of petroleum-based products such as plastic.
The plastics industry has fought back by promoting the reusability of its products and encouraging recycling.
Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute in New York, said environmentally savvy consumers such as college students were putting pressure on their food service providers to reduce waste and move away from natural resources in danger of depletion.
