What is Plantic® ?
The Plantic® tray in the Byron Bay Cookie Company café cookies packaging is an Australian developed plastic from plants. Plantic® is made from corn starch, is completely safe to humans and the environment and is easily disposable. It is environmentally friendly but looks and feels just like a normal plastic tray.

What is the best way to dispose of a Plantic® tray?
Plantic® trays biodegrade as quickly and effectively as any household leftover food-scraps and ideally they should be deposited in compost bins or worm farms at home. You could even bury Plantic® trays in your garden with lawn clippings. Less waste in the bin means less waste to landfill. If a Plantic® tray is put in to your rubbish bin then it will eventually dissolve and will considerably reduce rubbish volume especially compared to the plastics it will replace. These plastics which are derived from petrochemical sources can take hundreds or thousands of years to degrade unlike Plantic® which will fully decompose in months.

Is it recyclable?
Plantic® material is recyclable. Any off cuts during manufacturing are directly recycled back into our manufacturing process. The finished products can also be recycled, although current recycling collection does not include Plantic® because it is so new. In the meantime, we suggest that Plantic® is disposed in compost, worm farm or back yard garden.

Why is Plantic® material good for the environment?
The benefits of using Plantic® material comes from its source – the growing of corn to make starch - which is renewable and sustainable. Plantic® materials dissolve on contact with water and are totally biodegradable. Plantic® materials are non-toxic to humans and the environment.

How much corn is needed to make a Plantic® tray?
Plantic® trays are made from maize (corn starch). It takes less than a cob of maize to make one tray. The type of maize used is grown in Australia and is used in foods such as bread and pasta.

How have Plantic® trays been tested?
Plantic® materials have undergone extensive testing. Plantic® materials were developed by the Co-operative Research Centre for International Food Manufacturing and Packaging Science. The key partners during the seven year development phase was CSIRO’s Division of Manufacturing Science, the University of Queensland’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Swinburne University’s Centre for Applied Colloid and BioColloid Science.The laboratory at Swinburne University specialises in the testing of biodegradable materials and compost which includes tests for toxicity, heavy metals and the rate of degradation in compost and landfill environments.

If Plantic® trays are made from corn does that mean you can eat them?
Although Plantic® materials are safe and non-toxic we do not recommend that you eat the tray. We would prefer you eat the delicious Byron Bay Cookie Company Cookies. If the Plantic® tray is swallowed accidentally it is non-toxic.

Where are Plantic® trays made?
Plantic® materials were invented in Australia by the CRC for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science during its operation between 1995 and 2002. The technology is owned by Plantic Technologies Limited, a venture backed company established by the CRC. Plantic Technologies is an Australian owned, Melbourne based company that manufactures, develops and distributes Plantic® materials.

Where can I get further information?
For further information Plantic® - plastic from plants please visit www.plantic.com.au