With commercialism becoming more involved in our compost these days, choosing what can and cannot go into the backyard bin is becoming more confounding. The simple terminology of compostable and biodegradable have developed tiers of meaning and a deliberate diluting of what they actually are. We are given \u201ccompostable\u201d cups that are best suited for the trash can and \u201cbiodegradable\u201d packaging that lasts years. Because these terms are now marketable, the definitions commonly associated with them have been blurred.<\/p>\n
In the end, those of us who buy products based on such labels are trying to do something responsible. We picture our packaging rotting away into rich soil, returning to the earth and avoiding the ills the plastic industry has foisted upon modern times. Unfortunately, that isn\u2019t always the case. But, with knowledge on our side, we can make more informed decisions, and we can make compost!<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the difference between biodegradable and compostable? And degradable? And oxo-biodegradable? And plant-based? And so forth?<\/p>\n
Biodegradable v. Compostable
\nUnfortunately, due to the impressions these words on labels give, we must get into technicalities here. Biodegradable objects can be decomposed by living things or bacteria. This decomposition may take a long time, but eventually the item can be consumed, processed and reintroduced to the world in a different chemical composition. \u201cCompostable\u201d means that something can be composted and the resulting compost has no toxic residue as a result. Also, compost puts some time limit on the process.<\/p>\n
All items that are compostable are biodegradable, but biodegradable often doesn\u2019t entail compost-ability. For a biodegradable item to be considered compostable, it must break down in a single composting cycle. It must also reach specific standards regarding toxicity, disintegration and both physical and chemical effects on the resulting compost. When it comes to compostable items, the actual end result of the material is as relevant as the possibilities of decomposition.<\/p>\n
Plastic: Just a Bad Idea
\nIn general, compostable or not, plastic is probably just a bad idea in terms of being environmentally-friendly. In essence, any plastic product promoting itself as \u201cgreen\u201d is more or less making the claim of being less environmentally destructive. These labels have some regulation, but they are also industry terms in these techie biodegradable and compostable items require commercial machines for them to decompose. Even approved compostable plastics aren\u2019t suitable for home composting bins.<\/p>\n
Plastics, whether they be biodegradable or compostable, are problematic in their own ways. Biodegradable plastics, for instance, that are not compostable can build up as particles in compost piles, garden beds and the environment because they don\u2019t decompose fast enough. They also can leave toxins in the soil. \u201cBiodegradable\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily mean safe. Compostable plastics, while better and regulated, still require industrial processing which requires a lot of energy, likely pollutant itself, and effort in the form of work-hours sorting it correctly, from the home bin to the sorting facilities to the compost factory.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more is that biodegradable and compostable versions of plastic usually can\u2019t be recycled because of their ability to decompose, so without the appropriate composting facilities available, they are put into landfills anyway. In landfills, the environment either isn\u2019t right for them to decompose, or if they do decompose, they just add to the slurry of toxins and gases coming out of that.<\/p>\n
The Other Labels
\nThere are other labels, such as \u201cplant-based\u201d and \u201cbio-based\u201d, that have become commonplace and are also sometimes regarded, like biodegradable, as compostable. But, they aren\u2019t. Plant-based specifically, and some bio-based products, are produced using plant materials considered \u201crenewable\u201d. Renewable resources, unlike fossil fuels, can be regenerated time and time again. However, that doesn\u2019t mean said renewable resources, often GMO corn and sugarcane, are grown responsibly. And, once more, they can\u2019t necessarily be recycled, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cDegradable\u201d labels are even more deceptive as they ride the wave of the misunderstood biodegradable categorization but don\u2019t even live up to that. Degradable objects simply break up (not down) into many small pieces, leaving a wake of micro-plastics behind them. Oxo-biodegradable pulls a similar stunt only, instead of micro-plastics, it degrades but leaves pollutant metals behind.<\/p>\n
But, Composting IS Amazing!
\nNone of this is to dissuade anyone from composting. It is without a doubt of the greenest undertakings modern homeowners can involve themselves in. While plastics might not be in the cards, we can turn old papers, cardboard boxes, food scraps, and many other household waste items into clean, beautiful, fertile soil. If we send these items to the landfill, they\u2019ll be mixed with toxic waste, become contaminated and add to the problem. The point is that compostable items, particularly those going into a home compost bin, don\u2019t need a label. Advertising does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With commercialism becoming more involved in our compost these days, choosing what can and cannot go into the backyard bin is becoming more confounding. The simple terminology of compostable and biodegradable have developed tiers of meaning and a deliberate diluting of what they actually are. We are given \u201ccompostable\u201d cups that are best suited for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","nova_meta_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[11270,12239,7105],"supplier":[],"class_list":["post-60868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-biodegradability","tag-compostability","tag-packaging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60868"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=60868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}