Biodegradable? Compostable? What’s the difference?

When you buy items from a supermarket do you check to see if the package is biodegradable or compostable? Those are two words you often see on Green packages and in relation to recycling. Biodegradable and compostable may sounds similar but these two actions are quite different.

Biodegradable: A natural chemical process in when materials undergo degradation resulting from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. The process of biodegradation depends on the environmental conditions as well as on the material itself. If something is biodegradable, it will eventually break down into smaller pieces by natural processes. Some biodegradable items depending on what the item is, could take months to several years to fully break down.

Compostable: The process of recycling organic waste so that it can eventually be reused. Compost keeps materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Compost is great for the environment and returns organic material back to the soil for enhanced growth. Compostable means that a product is capable of disintegrating into natural elements in a compost environment. Most compost items take about three months to breakdown.

The Difference: While all compostable material is biodegradable, not all biodegradable material is compostable. Although biodegradable materials return to nature and can disappear completely they may sometimes leave behind metal residue, on the other hand, compostable materials create something called humus that is full of nutrients and great for plants!