While the food industry is increasingly using packaging made with starch, cellulose, and polylactic acid (PLA), the ability to ecologically dispose of this packaging isn't keeping pace. Biodegradable food packaging is only environmentally friendly when industrially composted, and there are not enough systems to do this in the United Kingdom. The recyclable containers then end up in a landfill, where they produce methane. So while consumers and supermarkets in the United Kingdom may be demanding environmentally-friendly packaging, until composting becomes more prevalent, the environmental loop will remain open.
Source: foodproductiondaily
