• 7/21/25

Compostable Packaging: Love it or Hate It - Let's Talk

Waste diverters, soil enthusiasts, and green-minded citizens all share a desire for waste reduction, clean sorting streams, and healthy soil. The sorting process can be confusing. The myriad of materials that we are expected to sort correctly can foster that emotion, making the process unclear, frustrating, and challenging to execute.

While compostable packaging is intended to provide a solution, it can also add uncertainty for the end-user and the composter. Given that the compost packaging market is expected to increase 17% annually between 2020-2027 - what role could compostable serveware play in achieving the goals of stakeholders devoted to a clean sorting stream, reducing and diverting waste, and building healthy soil?

Experts from every facet of the compostable packaging subset unpacked the answer to this question as this VORS 2022 session explored the preconceptions and misconceptions of compostable packaging and cultivated a discussion towards collaborative solutions.

This recording includes the discussions from the three Zoom rooms.

Panelists and Video time stamps:

00:00 VORS Introduction, Natasha Duarte
04:10 Session Introduction, Natasha Duarte, Moderator
16:48 Panelists opening statements:
- Ham Gillett, GUVSWMD, So. Windsor/Windham Counties SWMD
- Toby Alves, ECO Products
- Corey Berman, UVM Recycling & Zero Waste
- Zach Cavacas, Music Mountain Compost
- Trevor Mance, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
- Elly Ventura, Vegware
Zoom Room 1
- 33:55 with Elly and Toby
- 45:11 with Corey
- 55:21 with Trevor
Zoom Room 2
- 1:05:57 with Trevor
- 1:13:14 with Elly and Toby
- 1:23:10 with Corey and Ham
Zoom Room 3
- 1:33:03 with Corey and Ham
- 1:45:03 with Ham and Trevor
- 1:50:07 with Elly and Toby
1:59:21 Full Group Wrap Up