Switching to biodegradable: 5 Easy Ways

With the environment firmly on many people’s minds, it’s important to understand how you can make a difference and reduce your use of traditional plastics which end up in landfill.

There are five easy ways to switch to biodegradable plastics: understand the different plastic alternatives, identify which plastics you can replace, buy biodegradable plastics, encourage your family or business to go biodegradable, ensure you dispose of correctly in your normal waste.

What Is Biodegradable?

Biodegradable plastic is made from a mix of traditional plastic and renewable materials with the addition of specially designed microbes that cause the plastic to break down in months rather than centuries or longer. Biodegradable plastic is also often known as ‘bio-based’ plastic as it still contains some toxic chemicals, unlike compostable plastic.

Biodegradable plastic is often made by extracting the sugar from plants like corn and sugarcane. These are then converted into polylactic acids. Another way to make biodegradable plastic is to engineer it from microorganisms which are made to break down the plastic quicker.

Unfortunately, biodegradable plastics still include toxic chemicals similar to conventional plastic, which can leave toxic sludge behind when decomposing. This type of plastic is made from materials such as the sugar from corn and sugarcane or other vegetable starches which are converted into polylactic acids.

What Are The Benefits Of Biodegradable?

The biggest benefit of using a plastic alternative for your plastic bags is reducing your environmental footprint. A typical plastic bag can take centuries to thousands of years to break down in landfill and so biodegradable or compostable plastic reduces this time vastly.

There are also less traditional plastic chemicals in biodegradable plastics which means less environmental issues in the future such as pollution, toxicity and methane production in landfill.

Some benefits of biodegradable plastic:

It will break down more rapidly in a landfill environment – in months or a year rather than thousands of years.
Some ingredients are bio-based and will break down into their natural state.
They can be disposed of easily in landfill with the rest of your household garbage.
You can dispose of it easily in a public garbage bin or your home bin.
Safe for humans, wildlife, animals and the environment (mostly).
Less greenhouse emissions released during manufacturing.
Less electricity and water used during manufacturing.

It should be noted that biodegradable plastic can leave behind some toxic residue when breaking down, due to the plastic components still present in the plastic.

What Are The Negatives Of Biodegradable?

Unfortunately, with all items, there are some negatives to biodegradable plastics. This is due to there still being traditional plastic chemicals present in the plastic. Some of these drawbacks include:

Potential for contamination from crops such as soybean or corn being sprayed with pesticides prior to being turned into plastic
Equipment to process and recycle can cost more – industrial processes and composters. They are also not as easily available.
Risk of contamination from people mixing waste such as biodegradable and compostable or traditional plastic together. This contributes to pollution.
Biodegradable plastics can produce methane when breaking down in landfill.
Biodegradable plastics can’t decompose in the ocean as it’s too cold so they will contribute to pollution or even become microplastics.
Farming will be put under strain as more crops and cropland is needed to produce biodegradable plastics. This could impact developing countries who already have food scarcities.
Biodegradable products cost more to manufacture with the technology and processes needed as well as the smaller batches.
Biodegradable plastic can contain metals which leach during breakdown.
Biodegradable plastics can’t be composted.

How Can I Switch To Biodegradable Materials?

Although there may seem to be many negatives about biodegradable plastics, it’s important to still understand that it’s widely a better option than traditional plastics for many of your everyday items. When looking to switch to biodegradable, you can take these five steps:

Understand the different plastic alternatives – biodegradable and compostable are two easily available options that can replace many items.
Identify which plastics you can replace – this could be your shopping carry bags, trash bags, dog poo bags, food and drink containers and disposable cutlery.
Buy biodegradable plastics – you can find these in many standard grocery stores as well as online.
Encourage your family or business to go biodegradable – share the benefits and the cost of biodegradable plastics with those close to you.
Ensure you dispose of correctly in your normal waste – don’t try to dispose of in a composter or worm farm but dispose of in your normal waste OR follow your city’s guidelines.

So the answer is a resounding YES! You can switch to biodegradable plastics. You just have to understand how to dispose of them and where you can purchase biodegradable items. Also, understanding what is and isn’t available in biodegradable options is key.

Why Should You Switch To Biodegradable Materials?

As we’ve discussed above, there are many benefits to switching to biodegradable, with the environment being at the top of the list! It’s also very easy to dispose of, meaning you don’t have to change a lot of your habits to make the change.

Remember:

Biodegradable plastic is made from partial renewable materials
It can be disposed of with your normal waste
It will break down much quicker than traditional plastic
You can find many plastic items available in biodegradable
The manufacturing process is better for the environment
The breaking down process is better than traditional plastic.

Essentially, if you choose to switch to any bioplastic alternative from traditional plastic, you will be reducing pollution and toxicity as well as reducing the use of electricity and water in the manufacturing process.

Find out more about the different plastic alternatives here.

What Biodegradable Materials Are Available?

Although not every current traditional plastic item is available in biodegradable alternatives, there are still many biodegradable plastic products on the market for numerous uses. It’s a global market, with people everywhere considering how to reduce their environmental impact.

You can find these in many grocery or household/garden stores as well as online in your area. You should also understand what method of disposal is available in your area for biodegradable plastics as well as any laws around certification that must be followed.

Some of the most common uses for biodegradable plastics include:

Food packaging
Shopping bags and carry bags
Garbage and trash bags
Toiletry packaging
Tea bags
Food service items
Sponges
Dog poo bags
Medical packaging.

These items will be marked with a logo or ‘biodegradable’ on the packaging or the item itself.

Are Bioplastics Such As Biodegradable Sustainable?

Sustainable plastics or materials are essentially those which maintain natural resources and don’t impact future generations meeting their needs. I.e. they don’t contribute to pollution, deplete important resources or impact wildlife, soil, sea or land. Biodegradable partially fits into this bucket.

For those looking for an alternative to traditional plastic, bioplastics are a great option. They are environmentally safe and sustainable from manufacturing processes to disposal methods. Their manufacturing processes should reduce greenhouse emissions, use less water and energy and reduce carbon footprint.

Their disposal methods should contribute little pollution and toxicity to the environment and should be able to return to the natural environment in land, sea or air. Biodegradable plastic is a great alternative as it doesn’t change the way people dispose of waste. However, it can leave behind toxic residue when breaking down in landfill.

Conclusion

Bioplastics such as biodegradable are growing in popularity due to their lower environmental footprint and increasing accessibility for consumers. Being made from the majority of renewable materials, they provide an excellent alternative to traditional plastics.

Biodegradable plastics rapidly reduce the time that traditional plastic takes to break down. Biodegradable plastic products can be disposed of in landfill and will break down in months rather than the decades or centuries it takes traditional plastic to break down. However, they can’t be placed in composting facilities or worm farms and may leave behind toxic sludge as they decompose.

These bioplastics are very versatile and can be used for a broad range of applications, from food service items, food storage and trash bags to medical applications such as implants, drug delivery systems and orthopedic devices.

As research continues, the ingredients making up bioplastics will continue to increase. As demand increases, availability of such products will also increase. It’s important to understand which plastics you have at home and how to best dispose of them. For traditional plastics, some are recyclable and will be marked as such underneath.

When it comes to biodegradable plastics, understand which items are biodegradable, where to purchase them and how to best dispose of it.

Remember, you can switch to biodegradable plastics with these five steps:

Understand the different plastic alternatives – biodegradable and compostable are two easily available options that can replace many items.
Identify which plastics you can replace – this could be your shopping carry bags, trash bags, dog poo bags, food and drink containers and disposable cutlery.
Buy biodegradable plastics – you can find these in many standard grocery stores as well as online.
Encourage your family or business to go biodegradable – share the benefits and the cost of biodegradable plastics with those close to you.
Ensure you dispose of correctly in your normal waste – don’t try to dispose of in a composter or worm farm but dispose of in your normal waste OR follow your city’s guidelines.