Plastics are used in nearly every day-to-day activity, from packaging to furniture, food containers to wearable, electronics to parts of vehicles, etc. This extensive usage is because of its versatility, durability, and ease of work within several production processes.
It cannot be easy to imagine a life free from plastics, especially in today’s time. But are we being fair to Mother Nature? The usage of plastic has its downside, which is why biodegradable compost bags are gaining popularity.
Biodegradable plastics are the ones that can decompose naturally in the environment. They are a better choice to reduce the extent of environmental pollution caused due to plastics.
How are biodegradable compost bags?
The biodegradable compost bags are made in a way that they can quickly degrade or breakdown. It happens when they are exposed to enzymes, bacteria, the UV rays of the sun, water, and other factors that contribute to the breakdown of the plastic.
They consist of renewable raw materials, animal materials, or all-natural plant-based materials, including corn oil, orange peels, switchgrass, micro-organisms, soybeans, and starch. The process of industrial processing of these plastics is quite similar to that of ordinary plastic. The only exception is the raw material used for production.
The materials used are categorized into two categories:
- Biodegradable Plastics: It is made with conventional petrochemicals but designed in a way to breakdown quickly. Additives are added to speed up their decay rate in the presence of oxygen and light.
- Bio-Plastics: It is made entirely from natural substances like corn starch. Plastics made using this process emit less carbon and conserve energy.
Advantages:
The advantages of using biodegradable plastics are many and listed below are a few of them:
- Eco-Friendly Solution: Biodegradable compost bags need recycling or composting to ensure that the pieces of plastic can breakdown properly to enable the natural process of composting. The need to appropriately dispose of biodegradable plastic products reduce the amount of waste that would otherwise accumulate in landfills.
- Lesser Energy Consumption: While you might need to pay more initially, biodegradable plastics need a lesser amount of energy and fossil fuel, in the long run, to be reprocessed so as to create polymers. This factor would help you recover the costs in no time. With lesser energy consumed, the pollution would reduce significantly, thereby minimizing the impact on the environment.
- Recyclable Material: Apart from breaking down quickly compared to regular plastic, biodegradable compost bags can be used recycled further to manufacture more plastic products. The usage of plant-based oils ensures the integrity of the end product. In comparison to other kinds of plastic, they contain no toxins or chemicals.
- Reduction in Carbon Emission: The primary benefit of using biodegradable polymers for manufacturing biodegradable compost bags is a considerable reduction in the amount of carbon emitted during manufacturing. Additionally, plant-based materials create biodegradable plastics, ensuring that minimal carbon is emitted at composting.
- Reduction in the Amount of Waste Generated: Biodegradable plastic breaks down quickly in a few months, depending on the material used and the method of disposal. Conventional plastics contribute to nearly 13 percent of the waste stream, out of which only about 9 percent can be recycled. Biodegradable plastics stand out as a better choice as they are absorbed by the soil or turned into compost.
The composting of biodegradable plastics can help make the soil fertile, thereby enhancing its fertility. It is only possible because of it being made with natural raw material instead of synthetic chemicals.
The natural materials decay over time and enhance the soil’s capacity to retain water and nutrients. This factor, in turn, promotes the growth of healthier plants without the need for chemical fertilizers. Now, all you have to do is find out who is the best service provider for biodegradable compost bags. Keep in mind the factors we have mentioned.
