BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As the effort to tackle plastic pollution across the country and the globe continues to build, there are a lot of new products on the market.

Beyond Plastics President and former Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith Enck said it comes with good and bad.

"There are so many different terms that are batted about and it's very confusing for restaurant owners and consumers," Enck said.

Many restaurants are beginning to invest in packaging and utensils that claim to be biodegradable or compostable.

"Our research has found that some of these products are very similar to traditional plastics," Enck said. "They contain toxic chemicals. They're made from fossil fuels."

Beyond Plastics released a new report Thursday highlighting concerns with the products. On top of questions about how they are made and what is in them, Enck said plastics marketed as biodegradable could still take years or longer to break down and most compostable plastics only do so in very specific facilities with controlled conditions.

"We paid real attention to what organic farmers want in their compost and by and large they do not want shredded  compostable cups and utensils and plates coming to their farms," she said.

The organization is urging the Federal Trade Commission to take action quickly to address the types of claims these companies can make. The FTC is currently in the process of updating its Green Guides which govern deceptive environmental advertising.

Enck is urging the commission to include rules for biodegradable and compostable plastics and release them this year.

"There are no federal or state regulations that govern the environmental claims made by companies that sell products like this," she said.

In tandem with the report, Beyond Plastics has created a brochure with a checklist of questions restaurant owners can ask suppliers. Enck said these products are often more expensive and if restaurants do not have a separate collection system and facility to send them, investing can be fruitless.

"I applaud the companies that are looking to move away from single-use plastic packaging and I just want to make sure that that extra effort is worth it," she said.

Enck believes reusable packaging is the future and recommends customers bring their own when possible.

“Restaurants are always looking for ways to adopt more sustainable practices, and many have already switched to biodegradable to-go containers. However, as the report states, the cost of compostable materials remains quite high, creating significant hurdles for many restaurants looking to make the switch," the New York state Restaurant Association added in a statement.