What does biodegradable mean?
Decomposition of material under the influence of microorganisms (fungi, bacteria). As a result of which the materials are converted into H20, biomass, CO2 and/or methane, irrespective of time needed for this process. As there are no time restrictions misleading promotion is common, for this reason biodegradable claims should not be made unless part of the compostability explanation. As a result, some countries or states like California have banned the use of the word ‘biodegradable” in advertising and marketing.
What does compostable mean?
Decomposition of material into compost in industrial or domestic composting installations within a period of 6 months. Compostable claims are regulated by a number of international authorities who issue certifications accordingly.
We starting to see more products labeled as biodegradable, but as consumers do we know what to do with this product at the end of its use? Are we assuming that everything we buy is biodegradable? Are we understanding the difference between compostable and biodegradable? Today’s topic will discuss products that are made from bio-based materials. It’s what we call bioplastics.
Compostable polymers, often referred to as bioplastics are on the rise and are a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics that do not degrade. Food packaging, plastic bags and disposable crockery: more and more products are made from bioplastics. However, there are two different types of plastic, both of which are used under the heading bioplastic, namely biobased plastics and biodegradable plastics. Sounds almost the same, but it certainly isn’t.
Biobased versus biodegradable
Biobased plastics are plastics that are made from plant biomass, like Polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose and plastics based on starch but also the traditional plastics that do not degrade at all. The term biobased therefore just refers to the origin of the material from which the plastics are made, it does not mean that the plastics are also biodegradable. Biobased plastic has many advantages. For example, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces the demand for petroleum and uses sustainable renewable resources.
The second variant, the biodegradable (compostable) plastic, consists of material that is completely degraded in industrial composting plants within six months. In such an installation, temperatures up to 65 degrees are common during the natural composting process, bacteria break the materials down into CO2 water and humus. In nature, however, this degrading process takes much longer and may take a few years. Biodegradable (compostable) plastics should therefore be returned with organic waste for composting not disposed of as litter.
Misunderstandings
There are persistent misunderstandings about biobased and biodegradable plastics and there is still a lot of uncertainty among consumers. There is a big misunderstanding about the processing and recycling of both types of plastic. Biobased traditional plastics, that do not degrade, consist of the same polymers as traditional fossil petroleum plastics and can therefore be recycled in the current sorting and mechanical recycling process. This is in contrast to the biodegradable plastics which, when mixed with traditional non degradable plastics, have a contaminating negative impact on the quality of the recycled plastic. For this reason, they should be composted not recycled or landfilled.
Note that just because a plastic product is bio-based does not necessarily mean the product is biodegradable or compostable. Currently the New Zealand Government has been advised about standardisation of kerbside recycling within New Zealand.
If this happens, we are going to see a better system for food-waste, compostable packaging and recycling along with other products.
As a marketing company, Off The Wall Marketing aims to play a proactive and leading role in the use of sustainable and renewable products in advertising and packaging.
We have the passion and expertise to advise other businesses in becoming more sustainable.
Andre Hendriks
021 0734711
www.offthewallmarketing.co.nz
info@offthewallmarketing.co.nz