Biodegradable, Compostable & Zero Waste. Difference Explained.
Moving from conventional disposables and foodservice items to eco-friendly alternatives is one of the fastest growing foodservice trends. But you can come across the words “biodegradable,” “degradable,” and “compostable.” when looking for eco-friendly goods for your restaurant.
Biodegradable, Compostable, and Degradable: Bit confusing right? Let’s know that what’s the Difference?
Biodegradable, compostable and degradable goods are manufactured from various materials and, in various circumstances, deteriorate. To help you make an informed decision when purchasing eco-friendly disposables for your business, we will break down each type of eco-friendly product.
What Does Biodegradable Mean?
Biodegradable refers to a substance broken down by species such as bacteria and fungi into natural elements, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Technically, almost everything is biodegradable, even though most products would take hundreds of thousands of years to biodegrade.
Here are some advantages of goods that are biodegradable:
- Items that are biodegradable break down much quicker than other product forms.
- These kinds of materials, which are not harmful to the atmosphere, break down into carbon dioxide, water vapor, and organic material.
- These products are usually produced from sustainable materials and by-products of plants, such as corn starch or sugarcane.
How to Dispose of Biodegradable Products
It is safer to dispose of them in a commercial compost heap or to send them to a recycling plant because biodegradable items in landfills can produce harmful methane. In your town, you can also check whether there is a biogas plant that uses biodegradable products to produce methane that is then used to generate electricity.
What Is Compostable?
Compostable means that a commodity, but only in a compost environment, can break down into natural elements. Compostable products, such as maize starch, bagasse, or PLA plastic, are usually made from plants and other organic materials.
Compostable products have two additional advantages over biodegradable options: they break down much more easily, many in about 90 days, and they also break down into nutrient-rich products that provide the earth with good soil.
How to Dispose of Compostable Products
They need to be thrown away in a compost heap for compostable goods to break down correctly. Compost heaps are microorganism-rich and hit high temperatures, allowing goods to rapidly break down. In conventional landfills, these kinds of items do not break down quickly, so compostable products should not be thrown in the garbage.
What Does Degradable Mean?
Degradable products are often oil-based and are broken down by microorganisms rather than organically by chemical reactions. Degradable plastic objects can break down in anaerobic conditions such as landfills, unlike biodegradable goods.
Furthermore, degradable materials do not completely break down and transform into organic matter. Instead, they split up into microscopic parts that can still have an environmental effect.
Any plastic, for instance, will degrade and transform into small pieces that animals eat, causing major food chain problems. In addition, it usually takes much longer to degrade materials than it does to break down biodegradable or compostable objects.
What does Zero Waste mean?
Zero waste is a philosophy that aims to follow sustainable natural cycles in which all discarded materials are used for other purposes, with the result that no waste is disposed of in landfills or incinerators. The objective of zero waste is not to send products to recycling plants and compost heaps instead of landfills, but rather to use the entire product so that no waste is generated in its entirety. While many people across the country are choosing a zero-waste lifestyle at home, you can also apply some tactics in your restaurant to lead to a zero-waste kitchen.
How to Go “Zero Waste”
The first step to zero waste in your kitchen is to determine how much food you’re wasting and how much trash you’re producing. From there, you can decide where to make some adjustments. One of the best ways to calculate how much food you’re wasting is to audit food waste. To carry out a food waste audit, have your employees track the amount of food that comes to your restaurant, and then how much is being thrown away. This can help you understand whether you need to scale back your shipments or adjust your menu accordingly. Disposables such as plastic cups, disposable plates, straws, napkins and packaging are another major source of waste in kitchens.
