Do you know the difference between Biodegradable & Compostable?
Despite being used somewhat interchangeably, the meanings of Biodegradable & Compostable are not the same.
If something is biodegradable, it will be broken down into increasingly smaller pieces by bacteria, fungi or microbes to be reabsorbed by the surrounding environment, ideally without causing any pollution. Depending on what the item is, this process could take anything from 6 months to 1000 years. This means that, technically, almost any product could be labelled ‘biodegradable’ because most things will break down at some point in the future whether they’re derived from nature, like a banana skin, or made from chemicals – even some conventional plastics will eventually break down in to smaller, sometimes toxic, components for example. So the term biodegradable can be misleading and biodegradable materials are not necessarily compostable.
Compostable materials are materials that have been certified to break down completely into non-toxic components (water, CO2, and biomass) that will not harm the environment. The time it takes for something to break down depends largely on the product itself and the composting conditions.
Some materials can decompose in your home compost (like loose tea leaves and apple cores) but not all compostable materials are suitable for composting at home.
Watch out for Bio-plastics (compostable alternatives to conventional plastic packaging). Whilst they are fully plant-derived and compostable he majority need industrial composters which reach the higher temperatures and humidity needed to break down them down properly. Furthermore, if compostable plastics get mixed up with the rest of your recycling, they could contaminate the lot. So it’s important to keep them out of your plastics recycling box.
Our unique mushroom based packaging is not only compostable, but if planted in the ground with the wildflower seeds provided offers a climate positive result.
If something is biodegradable, it will be broken down into increasingly smaller pieces by bacteria, fungi or microbes to be reabsorbed by the surrounding environment, ideally without causing any pollution. Depending on what the item is, this process could take anything from 6 months to 1000 years. This means that, technically, almost any product could be labelled ‘biodegradable’ because most things will break down at some point in the future whether they’re derived from nature, like a banana skin, or made from chemicals – even some conventional plastics will eventually break down in to smaller, sometimes toxic, components for example. So the term biodegradable can be misleading and biodegradable materials are not necessarily compostable.
Compostable materials are materials that have been certified to break down completely into non-toxic components (water, CO2, and biomass) that will not harm the environment. The time it takes for something to break down depends largely on the product itself and the composting conditions.
Some materials can decompose in your home compost (like loose tea leaves and apple cores) but not all compostable materials are suitable for composting at home.
Watch out for Bio-plastics (compostable alternatives to conventional plastic packaging). Whilst they are fully plant-derived and compostable he majority need industrial composters which reach the higher temperatures and humidity needed to break down them down properly. Furthermore, if compostable plastics get mixed up with the rest of your recycling, they could contaminate the lot. So it’s important to keep them out of your plastics recycling box.
Our unique mushroom based packaging is not only compostable, but if planted in the ground with the wildflower seeds provided offers a climate positive result.