Why Compostable Packaging Still Ends Up in Landfills, And How We Fix It

Compostable packaging is only as effective as the system that recovers it. Today, most compostable products never reach a composting facility, not because the materials fail, but because the infrastructure, collection systems, and incentives needed to recover them are often missing. Join the Compost Stewardship Institute (CSI) to explore one of the biggest challenges in sustainability: how to ensure compostable packaging actually gets composted. Learn why so many compostable products are still landfilled, how contamination impacts composters, and what brands, manufacturers, and waste managers can do to create real circularity. Through case studies and practical examples, you'll discover how CSI's stewardship and take-back programs are helping recover compostable materials, support composting facilities, generate measurable environmental outcomes, and create a scalable model for a truly circular economy. If you're interested in moving beyond sustainability claims and toward verified recovery and diversion, this session will show what's working today, and what comes next.