Democracy Dies in Darkness

Plastic food packaging has become composters’ greatest challenge

People are tossing cling wrap, foam trays and other plastic food packaging into their bins, contaminating the compost.

7 min
Compost material is gathered at a county facility in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. (Brittany Greeson/The Washington Post)
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Slowly but surely, Americans are getting into composting. Curbside collection is on the rise, and more states and cities are making it mandatory to keep food scraps out of the garbage.

But the rise in popularity has led to an unintended consequence: Along with orange peels and eggshells, people are tossing twist ties, cling wrap, foam trays and other plastic food packaging into their collection bins. The result is contaminated compost.