Biodegradable, Compostable, Oxodegradable -What’s The Difference?
🤯🤯🤯 So. Many. Terms.
Fear not - we’re here to break this shizzle down for you…
BIODEGRADABLE
The term “biodegradable” has no legal definition. If something is biodegradable, it will ‘eventually’ break down. It could take anything from 6 months to 1000 years. So, technically, almost any product could be labelled ‘biodegradable’ because most things will break down at some point. Even some plastics will eventually break down into smaller, sometimes toxic, components (microplastics). So the term biodegradable can *sometimes* be misleading and biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean compostable.
Paper & pulp packaging
COMPOSTABLE
These are materials that have been certified to break down completely into non-toxic components (water, carbon dioxide, and biomass) that won’t harm the environment, given the right conditions. The time it takes for something to break down depends on the product and composting conditions.
Some materials can decompose in your home compost (like vegetable peelings) but not all are suitable for composting at home.
Bio-plastics for example are fully or partially plant-derived and are fully compostable BUT they require higher levels of heat, water, oxygen and micro-organisms to fully break down than what your home compost can provide. For anything to be legally labelled compostable, it has to have been certified to break down in industrial (council) composting facilities within 180 days.
OXO-DEGRADABLE
These are plastics which are either bio-based or fossil-fuel-based plastics that have been designed to degrade by oxidation. They are technically degradable but studies have found that some break into smaller pieces, resulting in micro-plastic pollution, while others need to be exposed to additives under industrial conditions for degradation to begin. Oxo-degradable plastic packaging is not a solution to soil or marine pollution - on the contrary, it contributes to micro-plastic pollution and poses an environmental risk.
