Biodegradable Food Containers in Alaska

Company marketing eco-friendly packaging
by Ted Land
Monday, September 29, 2008
www.ktuu.com
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=9095752

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Alaska company has a new, more environmentally friendly way to store food.

It's called Greenware, a completely biodegradable line of food containers and utensils.

The containers look like a normal take-out box, but the material they're made from comes from Mother Earth -- not a lab.

At Middle Way Cafe, they're serving up corn, soy, and even sugarcane. The busy lunch crowd lined up Monday to order the tasteless colorless starches.

But no one is actually eating it -- rather they're eating from it.

"I think these really are the future for disposable products," said Deborah O'Leary, who runs Greenware Alaska, one of the first companies to bring this food innovation to the state.

"I've always been preoccupied by garbage -- what's thrown away, what can be recycled, just the sheer volume of what we throw away," she said.

Middle Way has been using her products for months. They serve sandwiches on soy paper, coffee in corn-based cups, and scrambled eggs in sugarcane boxes.

Middle Way owner Jonathan Campabello pays a premium for the eco-friendly supplies, but he does so because Greenware is in line with his values.

"We're sending a message out to our customers that we care about you, we care about your health, we care about the community, and ultimately the planet," he said.

Some people come here specifically because of the Greenware, but most have no idea what they're eating from.

And it's not just restaurants using the products. Greenware also makes plastic shopping bags from corn. Their plastic brethren are scorned, even banned in some states.

Foam and plastic take years to break down in landfills, and along the way, they leak toxins into the earth. Greenware dissolves in months, leaving behind starch and water vapor.

Some companies are still not thinking green, and even if they were, there's no guarantee they could afford the more costly Greenware, which runs about 30 percent more than foam or paper.

O'Leary stays competitive because her products get people talking.

"It's really good public relations for a business to put these products out there," she said.

Greenware can be found at places like Snow City Cafe, La Mex restaurants, and the Botanical Garden, which uses them for events.

Contact Ted Land at tland@ktuu.com