Compostables, PFAS, and Philadelphia’s Waste Reckoning: Why Reuse Is the Real Solution
The Compostable Myth: A Comforting Illusion
At Climate Week, many discussions still leaned on compostables and bioplastics as the fix for plastic waste. On paper, these materials sound like progress. In practice, few ever reach commercial composting facilities. Most end up landfilled or incinerated, releasing the same emissions they were meant to prevent.
Even worse, many compostable products are treated with PFAS — the “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and hormone disruption. Studies have identified 12–13 PFAS compounds in finished compost derived from compostable foodware (AIP Publishing, 2023); the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reached similar conclusions, warning that these products contaminate finished compost.
In Portland, PFAS contamination in every brand tested led to a citywide ban on compostable packaging in municipal compost streams.
As ECHO Systems often emphasizes: a material that decomposes in months but leaves a chemical legacy in the soil is not innovation — it’s illusion.
EPR and the Policy Crossroads in Pennsylvania
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws — already active in Maine and Oregon — shift the cost of managing packaging waste from taxpayers to the companies that create it. Done right, EPR can fund prevention and reuse, not just recycling.
In Philadelphia, the conversation is shifting toward corporate accountability. The City recently sued Bimbo Bakeries and SC Johnson for misleading recycling claims.(WHYY; Grist) Meanwhile, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s Stop Trashing Our Air resolution calls for an end to contracts sending city waste to incinerators in Chester and Camden — communities that have endured decades of toxic pollution. (CRCQL).
This moment is a turning point: EPR and local policy can either reinforce business-as-usual waste systems or drive the shift toward reuse-based infrastructure.
Philadelphia’s Waste Contracts: The Hidden Barrier to Progress
Philadelphia disposes of 1.5 million tons of waste each year, yet only 21% of what’s collected by the city is recycled (City of Philadelphia Zero Waste & Litter Plan).
For decades, waste contracts have gone primarily to Waste Management and Covanta (Reworld) — companies whose profit models depend on maintaining high waste volumes. Under these long-term agreements, about one-third of city waste is burned at Covanta’s Chester incinerator, one of the largest in the country (WHYY; Waste Dive).
These “collect and burn” contracts guarantee minimum tonnages, giving haulers no incentive to reduce waste or invest in prevention. The city also pays $90–$100 per ton just to process recyclables, even as global recycling markets collapse (The Philadelphia Citizen).
As Philadelphia prepares its next waste-hauling RFP in 2026 (City RFI), it faces a rare opportunity to change course. City Council has already called for an end to new incineration contracts. The next step:
- Diversify contracts to include community-based haulers
- Invest in reuse and composting infrastructure
- Treat waste prevention as public infrastructure — not an afterthought
Adopting a Modern Food Code: Unlocking Reuse in Philly
One immediate step Philadelphia can take is adopting the FDA’s latest Model Food Code which includes updated language supporting reusable foodware and waste prevention.
The city’s current code, based on an outdated version, still includes a costly and unnecessary barrier: a rule that all reusable flatware and containers used in food service must have NSF certification.
While NSF International’s standards are valuable for some commercial products, the rule is redundant. The FDA already approves durable, food-safe containers for reuse. The NSF clause inflates costs, excludes smaller vendors, and prevents businesses from participating in reuse systems. No other major U.S. city enforces this restriction.
Removing the NSF requirement would:
- Lower entry costs for businesses
- Expand participation in reuse pilots
- Align Philadelphia with national food safety standards
Until prevention is treated as infrastructure — not idealism — the city’s “solutions” will keep circling the same waste stream.
Reuse Wins: The Way Forward
ECHO Systems continues to demonstrate that reuse saves money, protects health, and strengthens communities. From small cafés to major institutions, the path forward is clear:
- Reuse reduces operational costs
- Eliminates single-use waste
- Prevents toxic exposure from PFAS and incineration
- Builds local, circular economies that benefit everyone
Philadelphia has the talent, innovation, and urgency to lead — if it chooses to rewrite its waste story. The question isn’t whether reuse works. It’s whether we’re ready to make it the rule, not the exception.