Compostable Packaging Resources & Guides
Welcome to the Pure Compostables resource library — a working set of in-depth guides written for the people who actually procure, evaluate, and switch to compostable packaging. You’ll find detailed certification breakdowns (BPI, TUV, EN 13432, ASTM D6400 and beyond), step-by-step playbooks for transitioning a business away from conventional plastics, and product selection guides covering bag sizes, materials, and use cases. Every article is written from the perspective of a manufacturer with thirteen years of operating experience — not a marketing team. Use the categories below to navigate by topic, or browse the most recent guides directly. If your question isn’t answered here, our team is happy to help — start with our wholesale page or send us a note via the contact page.
-
EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP): A 2026 Compliance Guide for US Exporters and B2B Brands
The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive — what it bans, what it restricts, the labeling requirements, and the 2026 compliance picture for US-based B2B brands and exporters selling foodservice packaging into European markets.
-
The 60-Second Rule for Sorting Compostables in Your Kitchen
The 60-second rule for kitchen composting says: if sorting an item into the compost bin takes more than 60 seconds of thought or scrubbing, throw it in the trash. The rule isn’t about being lazy — it’s about preventing the analysis-paralysis that derails household composting after three weeks of enthusiasm. A waste sort study from…
-
Soil Compaction From Compost: Avoiding This Common Mistake
Compost is supposed to loosen soil — but applied wrong, it can do the opposite. Heavy compost layers worked into already-wet clay soil create dense, oxygen-poor zones that worsen drainage, slow root growth, and trigger the very problems compost is supposed to fix. Soil compaction from compost is the most common avoidable mistake home gardeners…
-
Christmas Eve Candy Calendar Wrappers: Compostable Brands
Advent calendar candy wrappers are the small foil and plastic squares that hide behind each numbered door of a Christmas Eve countdown calendar. A single 24-day advent calendar produces 24 wrappers per household, and an estimated 60 million advent calendars sell globally each November-December. That’s roughly 1.4 billion small wrappers, most of which end up…
-
How to Audit Your Foodware for PFAS Content
A foodware PFAS audit is the only reliable way to know whether the molded fiber bowls, paper plates, and grease-resistant wrappers in your operation contain the forever chemicals that California, Washington, New York, and a growing list of states have banned. The audit isn’t a single test — it’s a documentation-first workflow that combines supplier…
-
The Basics of Sustainable Stadium Foodservice
Stadium foodservice produces between 4 and 12 pounds of waste per attendee per event — concession packaging, cup waste, plate ware, food prep scraps, and aisle litter. A 65,000-seat stadium hosting 12 NFL games and 30 college games per year generates roughly 5,000-9,000 tons of waste annually. The sustainable stadium playbook that’s working at venues…
-
Past-Date Eggs: How to Test, Use, and Compost Shells
The expiration date on egg cartons is conservative. Most eggs remain perfectly safe to eat 3-5 weeks past the sell-by date when refrigerated properly. The float test, visual inspection, and smell test reliably identify which eggs are still good. Older eggs actually work better for some applications — hard-boiling produces eggs that peel more easily;…
-
Window Box Composting on a Tiny Scale
A window box is the smallest practical compost system that still produces real, usable soil. The 24-inch flower box on your fire escape or balcony rail can handle vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, and shredded paper from a single household if you set it up right. The math is forgiving — a 4-inch-deep box gives roughly…
-
6 Best Compostable Utensils for Catering
Catering operations consume substantial volumes of disposable utensils across events. A typical catering operation might use 500-5,000+ utensil pieces per event for medium-to-large gatherings. Compostable utensils have moved from niche to mainstream over the past decade, with multiple major suppliers offering reliable products at increasingly reasonable prices. The right choice depends on the food being…
-
Can I Compost in Winter?
Yes, you can compost in winter. The process slows substantially as temperatures drop — microbial activity decreases, decomposition rates fall, frozen piles essentially pause. But composting doesn’t stop, and the practical considerations are about managing the slowdown rather than abandoning the practice. Mild winters see modest slowdown; cold winters see substantial pause. The household that…
-
How Much Food Waste Goes to Landfill in the US?
By EPA estimates, the United States generates roughly 100 million tons of food waste annually. Roughly 60-70% of that goes to landfill — somewhere between 60 and 70 million tons of food per year ending up in landfills. The remainder is split among composting (around 5-9 million tons), incineration (around 20 million tons), and other…
-
10 Best Compostable Trash Bags for Kitchen Caddies
Kitchen caddy bags — the small compostable liner bags that fit in countertop or under-sink compost containers — are a substantial subcategory of compostable products. The bags need to handle wet kitchen scraps, fit standard caddy sizes (typically 2-3 gallons), break down in commercial composting, and balance affordability with reliability. Households with active composting practice…