Takeout food trash amounts to nearly half of all municipal solid waste in the US, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In 2014 alone, out of the 258 million tons of municipal solid waste generated in the US, over 63 percent was of packaging materials out of which only 35 percent (amounting to around 89 million tons) was recycled or composted
And while there are several organizations that are doing whatever it takes to create a smaller impact -- whether it’s limiting the use of plastics or choosing biodegradable alternatives.
However, one company has now developed takeout containers that are lined with seaweed instead of plastic. These novel biodegradable containers have been developed by a company called Notpla.
What’s unique about these takeout containers is that it’s completely biodegradable and compostable, unlike conventional takeout containers which not only have plastic lining to prevent it from getting drenched. They also at times possess additives into the pulp that makes the already difficult decomposition process impossible.
Even though the board degrades, the coating that surrounds the boxes remains unchanged. The use of seaweed enables Notpla’s implementation to be grease and water-resistant while also being naturally biodegradable.