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by yasman 1084 days ago
Something I recently learned is that PFAS, which might be a carcinogen and probably isn’t good for you, are in compostable take-way containers.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/pfas-compostable-food-packag...

1 comments

I was always a bit surprised to see these. At work, we used to have your classic Nespresso plasticy-cardboard coffee cups. They could be reused during the day, but you'd basically throw them away after a few uses.

Now we get some "eco" "compostable" ones. To my untrained eye, aside from the different color, they look and feel exactly the same. They even have a drawing on them that I interpret as "we kill turtles". Not sure how these can be considered "green". I'm also curious how healthy it is to drink a hot beverage out of them.

IMO anything that is heated and plastic or plastic-adjacent is suspect.

Not to mention the fact a lot of these “eco” things need special equipment to process which isn’t available everywhere

The eco cups are PLA. They are derived from a completely different source from the petrochemical plastics. While that doesn't on it's own make them completely safe, they likely have massively different properties from other plastics.
Thank you for sharing this - an interesting rabbit hole to go down.

Found this with some quick googling: https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12...

Seems like the risk comes from additives to PLA? Seems exhausting to try and stay informed.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

> The eco cups are PLA.

That is very surprising given that PLA can't support heat.

Does the cup get out of the machine in a complete different shape? Because if it's PLA, it should.