Compostable Packaging: The Pros and Cons in 2023 - Sifted

What is Compostable Packaging?

Plastic packaging materials like parcels, stickers, and polythene bags account for 42% of all plastic produced worldwide.

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Unfortunately, it has a very short usability lifetime (typically around 6 months or less). This is where businesses can take advantage of alternative solutions, like compostable packaging.

In fact, compostable packaging has the potential to extend the end-of-life performance of packaging materials.

Compostable packaging is a form of packaging made from various natural materials such as sugar cane, corn starch, potato starch, and wood pulp.

It is a popular sustainable packaging option because microorganisms can break down compostable materials into compost, a valuable fertilizer that enriches plants and soil. This helps reduce a large portion of plastic pollution by driving it away from waterways and landfills.

With home composting, the decomposition of organic waste into compost may take up to 180 days, but industrial composting facilities can decrease this time to 3 months.

In this article, we&#;ll cover everything you need to know about compostable packaging.

What Kind of Materials Can Be Composted?

Traditional packaging options can be extremely wasteful and harm ecosystems. For that reason, it&#;s important to invest in compostable packaging options that are right for your product and logistics.

Fortunately, several packaging solutions are compostable. These include:

Cardboard and paper: Cardboard made from organic materials can be composted by simply putting it into a compost pile. Only add clean cardboard to compost bins because cardboard treated with chemicals can contaminate the compost and decrease its value.

A compostable cardboard box from EcoEnclose costs between $0.62 and $3.17, depending on the box dimensions.

Bubble wrap: Plant-based bubble wrap rolls are more eco-friendly than the traditional PE plastic ones. Compostable bubble wraps are made up of cornstarch polylactic acid polymers (PLA), and they can be completely degraded within 90 to 180 days.

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A 50cm x 50cm roll compostable bubble wrap roll costs around $49.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch packaging materials are a viable alternative to styrofoam and plastics. They are developed from bio-based plastics, like PLA, that can be turned into nutrient-rich biomass through composting.

A compostable cornstarch bag costs between $0.10 to $0.40.

In addition, other eco-friendly packaging options are available for parcel shipping, such as Kraft paper rolls, postal tubes, tissue paper, and compostable mailers and envelopes.

Biodegradable plastics have two classes. These are bioplastics which are made from renewable raw materials and plastics that come from petrochemicals that have biodegradable additives. Created to minimize pollution from plastic pollutants, these plastic types will turn to compost after a certain period of time. However, there are upsides and downsides to the use of these materials.

List of Advantages of Biodegradable Plastics

1. Carbon Emission Reduction
One of the advantages related to the use of biodegradable plastics is the minimal emission of carbon in the air during the process of manufacturing bioplastics. As opposed to the normal manufacturing of plastics that create four tons of emissions, bioplastics only emit approximately .8 tons of carbon that add to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

2. Consumes Less Energy
The manufacturing process of biodegradable plastics requires less amount of energy and does not need fossil fuels to be recycled. Conversely, traditional plastics demand more energy in production and at the same time requires the burning of fossil fuel. Since less energy is needed, more bioplastics can be produced while there is less pollution in the environment.

3. Less Landfill Area Needed
Plastics that are non-biodegradable are brought to landfills to discard them. Consequently, land area that could have been used for agriculture, residence or industrial applications is instead converted to landfills. If bioplastics are used, there is no need to add more landfills since these plastics can be absorbed by the soil and be converted to compost or humus.

4. Recyclable
Apart from taking less time to break down when discarded, biodegradable plastics can also be recycled and are non-toxic since they contain no chemicals or toxins compared to other types of plastics that can emit harmful chemicals, especially if burned.

List of Disadvantages of Biodegradable Plastics

1. Need for Composters
The flipside of using biodegradable plastics is that there will be a need for industrial composters to turn them into composts and availability of the equipment in some countries can be a problem. Apart from the cost, not all countries have the proper equipment especially if this is not the priority of the government. In the end, the bioplastics that need to be processed will not be discarded properly.

2. Engineering Issues
These bioplastics are plant-based and this means that they come from organic sources from farms such as soybeans and corn. However, these organic plants are sprayed with pesticides which contain chemicals that can contaminate the crops and be transferred or included in the finished product.

3. Risk of Contamination
Biodegradable plastics should not be mixed with non-biodegradable plastics when thrown in garbage bins. The problem here is that not all people know how to segregate or distinguish bioplastics from other plastic types. Once these two types of plastics are mixed together, these bioplastics become contaminated and cannot be used anymore. Consequently, these contaminated bioplastics will end in landfills and add to the volume of thrash.

Biodegradable plastics are becoming popular these days because of the increasing awareness on global warming and environmental issues. Despite having disadvantages, it will help to focus on the benefits of using bioplastics and on educating the people on its importance and effects on a global scale.

7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Biodegradable Plastics via: https://connectusfund.org/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biodegradable-plastics

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