MCB HAWAII -- There is no home for plastic foam containers in Anderson Hall Dinning Facility at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Cups and other utensils made from the non-biodegradable material are being replaced with a more sustainable option. Since last month, diners from the fast food and snack lines are now using disposable products made from corn syrup or sugar cane. The items may look like normal plastic but can dissolve in hot water and will decompose easily, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Sheldon Gridley, food service officer, Headquarters Battalion.
“Believe it or not, even straws now are biodegradable.” Gridley said. “You wouldn’t even realize it’s made from corn syrup.”
Col. Robert Rice, commanding officer, MCB Hawaii, ordered the ban and said the directive was important in keeping MCB Hawaii environmentally sustainable. The old foam products thrown away at Anderson Hall are sent to the base landfill and do not decay.
Rice said he may extend the rule to additional base restaurants and is currently speaking with Marine Corps Community Services to reduce plastic foam products.
"The mess hall is a huge user and we figured it was a good place to start,” Rice said. “With the number of takeaway meals, it’s something we have direct control over.”
Although the initial ban required just removing the old products, Gridley said Anderson Hall staff researched to find a sustainable alternative.
“We didn’t go with the first products we saw,” Gridley said. “There were top of the line boxes that weren’t compostable but made of recycled products. We wanted [disposables which fit] three parameters. We wanted it to be made of recycled products, it has to be biodegradable and it has to be compostable.”
He noted the mess hall uses approximately 6,000 to 8,000 plastic ware pieces each month. Gridley said staff also lobbied the General Services Administration to carry them, as the cost for the alternative isn’t much different.
“These are 33 cents apiece and it was roughly 31 cents for the [plastic foam],” he said. “The price is very comparable, and it was our big goal to not break the bank.”
Both he and Rice said the ban is just the next logical step in being environmentally stable. Anderson Hall staff is currently conducting surveys to find out additional ways to reduce waste while keeping up good service. Additional studies have also been conducted studying how much electricity and water is used at the mess hall.
Many diners using the biodegradable alternatives, like Lance Cpl. Bryan Flores, motor vehicle operator, Combat Logistics Battalion 3, are impressed. Flores said he likes the high quality cups and utensils because they’re convenient to use when he needs fast food.
“I like [these cups] better than the smaller ones they had before,” he said. “I’ve used it since they got them.”
Others may not realize they’re using anything different because utensils are high quality, said Staff Sgt. Oneal Paguada, responsible officer, HQBN. He said the new sustainable alternative performs just as well as the old plastic with fewer environmental impacts.
“They can use it and throw it away,” Paguada said. “We know it won’t harm the environment in any way. It’s actually good quality products that won’t leak.”