LOS ANGELES — Richard Feldman is trying to put himself out of the plastic business.

For years, Feldman, an importer of plastic containers, gave little thought to the nation's overflowing landfills. But that changed when he realized that many of his customers, including Whole Foods Market Inc., were going green.

"I will lose the business someday," said Feldman, the founder of Los Angeles-based Clear Creek Compostables. "I just want to lose it to myself."

It's already happening. Last year, Feldman began importing biodegradable plates and bowls from China that are composed of 90 percent sugar-cane pulp and 10 percent paper.

He also is making clear containers from a corn-based resin developed by NatureWorks, a subsidiary of food supplier Cargill Inc.

"I've spent a career filling landfills. Now it's time to reverse that," said Feldman, who calls himself a "born-again environmentalist."

Compostable products are a tiny fraction of America's $8-billion- to $12-billion-a-year container and packaging industry, according to the Foodservice & Packaging Institute Inc. in Falls Church, Va. But demand is growing as companies migrate to more environmentally friendly operations in such areas as energy and water consumption as well as in the products they sell and use.

Compostable products biologically decompose in the oxygen-rich process used by industrial facilities.

In addition to being biodegradable, Feldman's products are made from a renewable resource that is a byproduct of sugar production. The plates and bowls are sold at Whole Foods, Sam's Club and a number of independent natural food stores.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that each year, Americans discard about 14.4 million tons of plastic — 8 percent of total waste. Much of the container and packaging waste ends up in landfills, which produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is blamed for largely contributing to global warming.

The plastics industry has fought back by promoting the reusability of its products and encouraging recycling.

Steve Mojo, of the Biodegradable Products Institute in New York, said environmentally savvy consumers have put pressure on companies to reduce waste and move away from natural resources in danger of depletion.

"This market is beginning to accelerate because all these drivers are coming together," he said.

At Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, using and selling compostable products is a natural extension of the company's "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet" philosophy, said Patrick Lewis, the retailer's regional buyer in Emeryville, Calif.

Although these biodegradable products are more expensive, the prices should go down if other companies join in and the market is expanded, Lewis said.

"We're a very small fish in the pond when it comes to packaging," he said.

The whale in that pond is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has promised to step up its recycling and energy efficiency programs and offer its customers more healthy and environmentally friendly products.

But the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has discovered that it isn't easy going green without undermining its drive to deliver the lowest possible price to its customers.

Sam's Club began carrying Clear Creek's plates this year in 18 stores in California. At $11.88 for 100 plates, the compostable products cost about 20 percent more than a comparable paper product. Sales have been slow and Feldman was told the product might be dropped. But he won a reprieve after arguing that customers needed to be educated about the benefits of recycling and composting.

Matt Kistler, vice president of products and packaging innovation for Sam's Club, said that in the end, the customers will rule.

"Ultimately, our members will decide whether or not we carry the product," he said.