never choose styrofoam for any reason, and keep in mind that plastics have a limited usefullness in recycling, starting with #1, virgin new plastic, the higher the number the less useful for remaking plastic until it can no longer be reused as #7 ... the pasteboard egg cartons compost fine, and are partly or entirely made from recycled materials, recycled wood pulp has a similar degradation, because the fibres get shorter, but it's always useable for composting if not for lower quality boxboard, corrugated or pasteboard .... I get eggs from the farmer in 2nd hand cartons, and take them back for a refill :)

Bill

So basically I still bought recycled packaging in buying the pasteboard cartons, that will compost nicely in my bins. Best of both worlds then, it seems! Thanks! :-)

If I were faced with that choice, I don't think it would matter too much. I would choose either a compostable package or a recyclable package and therefore it would depend on the item itself.

However I do check carefully for the numbers on so-called recyclable materials. Really, only #1 and #2 plastic is recyclable, at least in any area I've ever lived in. So if it is a choice between compostable packaging and say, #5 "recyclable" plastic packaging, I would definitely go with the compostable.

I can't understand why some companies won't/can't use #1 or #2 for their packaging. There is such a wide range of products that come packaged in it - milk, motor oil, shampoo, juice... why can't pudding or yogurt or berries come in #2 also?

:)
Dee

Dee - #1 and 2 plastic is the recycling 'cream', it's worth a small amount of money, each numbered plastic has it's commercial/industrial uses, but #3-7 are lumped together for shipment to China and nobody pays anything for them, which is why you don't see them collected, although in most places in Canada all plastics, #1-7 and plastic film are collected, there seems to be a bit of useage up here, for pipe, "lumber" and durable plastic products like rulers and trash cans

#1 plastic is PET, looks just the same as #3, which is PVC, #2 is HDPE, every number is a different resin that's used because of it's particular properties, and of course processors use what's cheapest that does the job - generally the resin types can't be mixed, they have to be seperated to be reused

the problem is plastic is so dam handy, light and cheap - our approach needs to be to get used to refusing plastic containers as much as possible, if they can't sell products in plastic they'll get the hint ... we also need to understand that recycling has a cost, just like landfilling or any other "refuse" disposal, instead of expecting that recycling will pay for itself in markets for raw material ... and note that NO recycled plastic gets re-used in food packaging, the FDA prohibits it

Bill

Well, the eggs were packaged in #1 plastic, and I could have sworn the package said "made of recycled materials" on it as well...but maybe that was the paperboard insert they had inside the package. So those plastic cartons are recycleable here...and I could have composted the paperboard (just getting my compost bins set up this week), but the pasteboard cartons will work just fine for me, since I can compost the package and the eggshells, and not have any waste leftover to recycle or dispose of (considering that the compost won't be wasted - it will go into my gardens). And there's the added bonus of buying local eggs...always a good idea. :-)

Jamie, if I had to make that choice, I would have made the same one as you. The local eggs would have made it for me. And now that I rethink my answer above, I guess that after all, I would give a slight edge to a compostable package over a recyclable one. I guess I would rather put something in my compost than add to the recycling stream.

:)
Dee

I had a similar quandry...a local store had Dole pineapple chunks for sale in a plastic container, a great price, but it wasn't a 1 or a 2....so I passed it up for canned pineapple. I was really annoyed by that. Also I've written to Kraft about packaging for Crystal Light. It does't need to be in those plastic tubes and tubs. They said they would NOT reconsider their packaging.

I try not to by Kraft because of that response.

So annoying!

Lauren, I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one who writes to companies regarding their packaging, lol! I've written to a couple of pudding/yogurt makers about their use of plastics other than #1 or #2. They pretty much side-stepped the question and thanked me for using their products (I guess they didn't understand that I did NOT buy their products because of the plastic) and gave me coupons, lol. Oh well.

One that really gets me is the baby food that now comes in plastic containers. I think it is Gerber, but not sure. If they cared as much about babies as they say they do, they'd put the darn baby food in recyclable containers!

:)
Dee

And what gets me is the companies that sell organic, hormone free milk in non-recyclable, non-compostable plastic coated paper cartons. I end up buying the "regular" milk because I can recycle the carton. But this means making a choice between my personal health and the health of the planet.

I guess we're lucky in that respect, blenk2 - our milk in the regular plastic cartons is hormone/antibiotic free at my fave grocery store, so it's "good" either way. Have you tried shopping for milk elsewhere to see if other places might have what you're looking for in a plastic jug?

Yes, actually there is a local dairy that sells raw milk and cheeses made from their own milk. Unfortunately it's about 8 miles out of town, and I live 10 miles out on the opposite side of town. I used to go there before the price of gas went up. Maybe with enough letters to companies there will be a bit of change.