Lately we hear about it everywhere, the revolution to eliminate plastic and recycle as much as possible. But why should we choose a biodegradable and compostable product? But above all, what are the advantages of these new products? Biodegradable: what does it mean? Biodegradable materials are defined as such when they end up dissolving in the chemical elements that compose them thanks to the action of biological agents such as bacteria, plants, animals and other physical components including the sun and water, in natural environmental conditions. In doing so, these biodegradable substances become into nutrients for the soil, carbon dioxide, water and biomass. Simply put, it is the metabolic conversion of biodegradable material into carbon dioxide. Let’s find out together! Why choose biodegradable and compostable disposable products?
Choosing between a plastic plate or a bioplastic plate, in words does not seem to make much difference, but for our environment this matters a lot! A disposable plastic product, as much as we like to think that it is recycled, often ends up in landfills and incinerators and all this aggravates the already precarious situation of our environment, which is now polluted and submerged by plastic and non-plastic waste. Just think that a plastic bottle takes 100 to 1000 years to degrade!
The choice, on the other hand, of a biodegradable and compostable disposable product, will not only help the environment, but will save us the trouble of having to clean up food residues, it will be quick and easy to throw everything into the waste collection.
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Biodegradable and compostable: what are the differences?
Let’s clarify immediately that biodegradable does not automatically mean that it is compostable. By biodegradable we mean in fact any material that can be broken down by the sun, bacteria and natural physical agents, into simple chemical compounds such as water, carbon dioxide or methane. European legislation establishes that a product can be defined as biodegradable only if it decomposes by 90% within six months.
By compostable element, on the other hand, we mean that material that is not only biodegradable but where its decomposition process takes place within three months. So the substantial difference between compostable and biodegradable is the time it takes for a product to transform into elementary chemical compounds due to the biodegradation process.
The creation of compost allows us to maintain important resources in the area, resources that can be used to enrich our soils, help crops and mitigate desertification and hydrogeological risk.
Advantages of Biodegradables:
- Biodegradable products have a lower environmental impact as they are more easily (and quickly) reabsorbed by the environment, thus reducing pollution and the impact on the ecosystem.
- Bioplastics are produced starting from renewable sources: in fact they are produced starting from vegetable organic matter and this ensures that there are no problems of depletion of raw materials, as well as reducing the use of fossil materials and greenhouse gas emissions.
- The use of organic raw material can be a stimulus to agricultural activities. Thus fighting the excessive urbanization of rural areas
- Biodegradable bioplastics also provide an alternative for product disposal, thus reducing the volume of waste
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What are the biodegradable and compostable disposable products on the market?
Choosing to help the environment is easy! The variety of biodegradable and compostable disposable products is constantly growing. Luckily, it will help us to minimize the use and consequently the production of plastic.
Disposable products cannot be missing in the “Horeca” sectors, but also in private individuals; Choosing to love the environment is now easy, among the biodegradable and compostable disposable products we suggest you:
Materials introduced to replace plastics:
- bioplastic
- cellulose pulp
- birch wood
- bamboo
- pine wood
With the use of these materials, glasses, plates, cutlery, containers and tablecloths are on the market. But unlike plastic, using them means respecting the environment as they are biodegradable and compostable; it will be quick and easy to dispose of them in the waste collection. We at Gortcle shop care about the environment and want to do our part to save our planet, which is why we keep up to date on the subject of ecology by placing more and more “environmentally friendly” products on our website.