Compostable Disposable Products Coming Soon to Healthcare Foodservice

Compostable foodservice disposables (such as bagasse plates, PLA cups, potato cutlery, etc.) have received a lot of operator attention in recent years. However, one of the foodservice sectors that has been slower to embrace these products is healthcare foodservice. Why is the case? Perhaps one reason is that at least 30% of the meal volume in a healthcare foodservice operation involves patient feeding. And those specialized meals have historically relied on specific types of single-use items and/or reusable meal delivery systems (manufactured by companies such as Aladdin Temp-Rite, Burlodge, and Dinex). But this could be evolving with the introduction of compostable disposable products designed specifically for healthcare.  Burlodge is the first out of the gate with its Eversio line for patient feeding.   The products — which will be available in September 2010 — include specialized trays, bowls, and cutlery that are BPI certified compostable except for the cutlery pieces. This product introduction will provide U.S. healthcare foodservice operators with new, environmentally-preferable purchasing choices that could reduce the amount of disposable product going to landfills.  It may also spur innovation from other competitors in the market.  Burlodge expects the primary market to be acute care facilities because of “volume and operational savings” although all healthcare segments would see infection control and disaster preparedness benefits. At LeanPath, we believe reusables usually represent a better alternative to disposables.     Yet we fully recognize there are situations where disposables meet a unique operator need, especially in acute care environments.  Burlodge’s product should be an intriguing alternative for those operations. http://blog.leanpath.com/2010/06/healthcare-compostables/

Major corporations like Toyota, Wal-Mart, and BP are spending millions on making the environment a top priority – and with good reason. Whether it’s Al Gore showing us the impact of global warming, or rising gas prices pointing us to search for alternative energy sources, we’ve all become aware of the need to protect our natural resources.

Environmental Fact & Factoids

• The U.S. uses 100 Billion plastic bags annually, which is the energy equivalent of 12 Million barrels of oil.
• Less than 1% of plastic bags are ever recycled.
• Each high quality reusable bag will eliminate hundreds to thousands of plastic bags over its lifetime.
• Plastic Bags kill sea animals that mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
• It costs California taxpayers $20.5 Million to collect and landfill plastic bag waste each year. This does not include external costs, e.g. pollution, risk and threat to marine life, economic loss due to litter, etc.

* Eco Guardian (formerly Hope International Inc.) introduces elegant 100% environmental friendly, biodegradable, foldable, cotton carrier bags with amazing unique designs.

* Sobeys put a wrap on plastic bags
Canada’s two largest grocery chains, Loblaw Companies Limited and Sobeys, are putting a lid on the use of plastic shopping bags.

Loblaw said it will no longer provide free bags at checkout counters of its corporate locations and participating franchise stores across the country as of next April. The plastic bags will be available only on request….Click here for more details»

* set to trash plastic sacks. Plastic bags finally on endangered list in plan to divert 70% of household waste by 2010

Toronto’s newest endangered species may be the plastic grocery bag. Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, envirnonmental activist and Toronto city councillors says he wants to cut the number of grocery bags that end up in the city’s garbage. Elizabeth Margles of Loblaw Companies Ltd. responds:”So do we”. De Baeremaeker is the new chair of the Toronto’s public works and infrastructure committee,which held a briefing session……Click here for more details»

* Team gets a new champion
“I want to make the garbage can obsolete”. In some quarters that might be dismissed as the far-fetched ramblings of a wild-eyed environmental crusader.

Well the words belong to city Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker and he is an enthusiastic environmentalist and yes he will ramble on about waste and climate change and trees and any thing green.

As chair of the city’s public works and infrastructure committee and a member of Mayor David Miller’s hand-picked cabinet of loyalists, De Baeremaeker can advance into action ideas that he and his ‘back to the earth buddies’ kicked around in the Scarborough Rouge Valley back in the 1980s….Click here for more details»