Benefits of Using Biodegradable Disposables

From plastic food packaging to candy wrappers, where do you think trash ends up? Each year, the US alone generates 230 million tons of garbage; the majority of the trash is either incinerated or buried in landfills. Only about one-quarter of the trash that US produce is recycled.

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The Great Pacific garbage patch, which is a massive plastic garbage floating halfway between Hawaii and California, has grown to 1.6 million square kilometers or about thrice the size of France. The worst part? This floating patch of trash is just one of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. We are faced with a worsening garbage problem and yet, there is no real way of cleaning up the oceans and eliminating plastic trash. With 2.41 million tons of plastic garbage choking marine life, finding better alternatives to single-use plastic products is more important than ever before.

What are Biodegradable Disposables Made of?

Most biodegradable plates and compostable disposables are made from bagasse, bamboo, recycled paper, cornstarch, and even fallen leaves. ECO Gardener&#;s range of biodegradable plates is made from untreated, plantation timber that&#;s 100% sustainable and earth-friendly. Since these products are not chemically treated, they are suitable for kids and young children.

Why Switch to Biodegradable Plates and Compostable Disposables?

Most of the garbage that ends up in landfills and oceans is made up of plastic food packaging. Using biodegradable products may reduce the trash that ends up in landfills and the world&#;s oceans.

Unfortunately, food and plastic packaging manufacturers are finding more and more reasons for using plastic food packaging. Plastic is widely used because it&#;s a cheap and accessible material. Disposable containers are convenient to use but their negative impact on the environment cannot be ignored. It is also worth noting that single-use plastic products are not made from sustainable materials. It will also take a long, long time before plastic materials decompose so using these will only add up to our growing trash problem.

Biodegradable plates and compostable disposables are just as convenient to use as single-use plastic products sans the negative impact on the environment. These products do not deplete the earth&#;s natural resources. Biodegradable plates and compostable disposables will not harm the environment because they will break down completely once discarded.

Benefits of Using Biodegradable Plates and Compostable Disposables

Environmentally Friendly Entertaining

If you have guests over or you are hosting a party, you&#;ll probably use a lot of plates and cutlery. Rather than using plastic plates, plastic spoons and forks, use paper plates and wooden cutlery. These products are just as useful as traditional plastic plates and cutlery but they are more eco-friendly.

Plates and cutlery made from biodegradable materials are more environmentally friendly because these do not leave behind toxic chemicals or residues. In addition, these products degrade over time, releasing earth-friendly nutrients back into the soil. Sure, biodegradable plates and wooden cutlery may be more expensive than single-use plastic products but the price difference is quite small. It&#;s just a small price to pay for hosting an environmentally sound party!

Easy Composting

Got your own compost? Making your own compost is a great way to transform kitchen and yard wastes into something useful for the garden. You can also sell your own compost; it&#;s a great way to boost your earnings. Using eco-friendly plates and cutlery makes composting much more convenient. You can simply toss the discarded biodegradable plates into your compost bin. This makes post-party cleanup much easier too.

When adding discarded biodegradable plates to your compost, make sure the plates do not have food residues on them. Also, do not add too many biodegradable plates in one bin to avoid disturbing the balance of the compost pile. Our advice is to designate a place where guests could discard the biodegradable plates they have used. Simply let your guests know about the spot and why it&#;s important to discard the plates properly.

Energy Efficient

Did you know that making biodegradable plates and compostable disposables are more energy efficient compared to manufacturing single-use plastics? Plates and cutlery that degrade require less energy to be manufactured. In addition, the materials used for biodegradable plates and cutlery are renewable so they will not deplete the earth&#;s natural resources. Usually, these products are made from sugarcane, bamboo, corn, etc.

In addition, manufacturers of biodegradable products are more mindful of their own carbon footprint and are likely to take steps to reduce the greenhouse gases they produce. Using biodegradable plates and compostable disposables will definitely reduce your carbon footprint too.

Non-Toxic

Plastic products, particularly food packaging, are notorious for leaching toxic chemicals to food. That&#;s because single-use plastics are treated with a cocktail of chemicals including dyes, bleaches, and inks. Some of these products are safe, others not so much. For instance, plastic bottles release harmful chemicals like Bisphenol A when exposed to hot drinks. These chemicals affect the endocrine system, causing a variety of health problems ranging from hormonal imbalance, metabolic problems, to certain cancers.

The same thing cannot be said for biodegradable disposables. These products are plastic-free; they are made from plant-based materials that are 100% safe and earth-friendly. Because biodegradable disposables are made from non-toxic materials, you can enjoy your hot meals and drinks without worrying about chemicals making their way into your food.

For your next party, make the switch to disposables. Biodegradable disposables are the perfect alternative to plastic or Styrofoam plates and utensils.

ECO Gardener offers a great selection of biodegradable plates made from chemical-free materials!

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Plastic utensils are falling out of vogue for their detrimental environmental impact. And a slew of sustainable biodegradable tableware options are hitting the market. Biodegradable and compostable utensils are a common sight now, but they&#;re not all the same. Here&#;s what you need to know to pick a pair that&#;s as eco as it sounds.

With a whopping 40,000,000,000 plastic utensils being sent to the landfill every year, a low-waste alternative has long been needed. Now, biodegradable utensils and compostable cutlery are the preferred eco-choice. But depending on what they&#;re made of (and how they&#;re made), many aren&#;t as green as they seem.

Compostable Vs. Biodegradable Tableware

Often the words &#;compostable&#; and &#;biodegradable&#; are used interchangeably. But there&#;s a distinct difference between the two.

Biodegradable utensils will eventually break down in the natural environment. This term is loosely regulated, and a &#;biodegradable&#; utensil can be one that takes 5-10 years (or even longer) to break down. There&#;s no guarantee that so-called biodegradable tableware will break down into an environmentally safe form. In some instances, even plastic has been marketed as biodegradable. Because of the loose regulation and confusing nature of the term, it&#;s best to look for utensils that are certified as compostable.

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Compostable utensils are made from materials that will break down either in a backyard composting environment (like a compost pile). Or in a commercial compost facility. Compostable utensils require third-party testing in order to be certified as compostable. And they must break down completely into pure, healthy, soil in a certain amount of time. Most commercial compost facilities require items to break down in 80 days or less. At a home compost bin, the compost cycle can take up to two years.

Compostable utensils must go through third-party certification to prove that they break down into soil in a short time. So, they&#;re a more environmentally sound choice. However, the environment in which compostable utensils are certified to break down in (as well as what they&#;re made of), are important factors to consider when determining their true eco-benefit.

Materials Matter

We know that plastic is bad, but what&#;s better? The materials that make up the eco cutlery and compostable utensils you choose play a big part in their impact on the environment.

What are compostable utensils made ?

Compostable utensils are commonly made of bamboo or sugarcane. These two types of plant based utensils have different environmental impacts and different levels of compostability. Here&#;s what you need to know about each one.

Bamboo Cutlery

Bamboo utensils are one of the cleanest choices for disposable cutlery. Depending on the company you buy from, they will be made from 100% bamboo, which is a sustainable, natural material. Bamboo grows much faster than wood. And it can be harvested without killing the plant itself. It&#;s also naturally pest-resistant and is typically grown without the need for pesticides. Bamboo utensils can also be finished without glues or lacquers, which keeps the production process chemical-free.

When it comes to performance, bamboo is extremely strong. In fact, it&#;s the strongest woody plant on Earth! The short fiber of the bamboo plant also makes it harder for bamboo utensils to bend.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane, or bagasse, utensils are made from the leftover stalks of the sugarcane plant. While this, too, is a natural, plant-based material, it has a much bigger impact on the environment. Sugarcane is an extremely water-intensive crop. When it&#;s grown, the land has to be clearcut for its planting. This can damage the soil health and lead to erosion. Sugarcane is not pest-resistant, so heavy chemical pesticides are often used in its production.

When put to the test, sugarcane utensils tend to bend easily with use. It is semi-resistent to heat, but may lose strength when put into contact with hot foods.

Are compostable utensils actually compostable?

Utensils that are certified as compostable will break down, but only in the right environment. Some of the most popular options for compostable utensils, like sugarcane, are only compostable in commercial compost facilities. When commercially compostable utensils are sent into an at-home compost environment, they won&#;t break down. Compostable utensils are not recyclable. And when they&#;re tossed in the landfill? Commercially compostable utensils may take decades or more to decompose.

Because of these factors, many compostable utensils end up in the same place as plastic utensils. The landfill. Often, consumers aren&#;t sure how to dispose of compostable utensils. And utensils made from sugarcane look nearly identical to plastic utensils. This can lead to compostable utensils being sent to recycling facilities and to the landfill.

In order for compostable utensils to be a better choice, they must be disposed of properly. Knowing if the utensils you use are commercially or backyard compostable is an important step. Here&#;s how you can tell if the utensils you&#;re using really are compostable:

How do you know if utensils are compostable?

A trustworthy compostable utensil will have a certification that proves its compostability. Look for certifications like BPI (Biodegradable Product Institute) and CMA (Compost Manufacturing Alliance). Without third-party certification, it&#;s hard to know if an item really is compostable.

Even with a certification, you&#;ll need to determine whether your compostable tableware is commercially compostable, compostable in your backyard.  Or, both. Look out for the words &#;commercially compostable only.&#; If this label exists, then your compostable utensils will not break down in a backyard compost bin. And they can last in the landfill for years.

So, what are the best compostable utensils?

For most people, the best compostable utensils are those made from bamboo. Because bamboo is a natural, renewable resource, its production process is low-impact. Bamboo utensils are strong, heat resistant, and water resistant.

Many bamboo utensils are also compostable in both backyard and commercial compost facilities. Many Americans still don&#;t have access to commercial composting. So choosing bamboo utensils ensures that more compostable utensils are properly disposed of.

Additionally, bamboo utensils look distinctly different from plastic utensils. With their woody makeup, it&#;s easier to recognize that these utensils shouldn&#;t be recycled. This helps keep recycling streams free of contamination. And makes it more likely that bamboo utensils will make it to a compost facility.

Biodegradable tableware can often be the product of greenwashing. And properly disposing of compostable utensils can be slightly confusing. But alternatives like compostable bamboo utensils offer a more planet-friendly choice. When properly disposed of, the best compostable utensils offer a zero-waste solution for eating on the go.

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