Introduction of Compostable vs Biodegradable

It is very normal to get confused about the difference between compostable and biodegradable materials. While all compostable products are biodegradable, not all biodegradable products are compostable. The main differences are related to: their own production materials, how they decompose, and the residual elements after decomposition.

Compostable products are made by organic elements or plants that are able to degrade with time. For example, corn starch, bagasse, PVAL/PVOH, and others. Compostable products produce humus, upon degradation, which is the richest and most important part of all soils. The high level of microbial activity in humus boosts beneficial microbes within your soil which, in turn, assists plants to strengthen their immune systems (Nature’s Path, 2020). Therefore, compostable products do not have any toxic element to the environment after degradation.

It is important to recall that compostable products need a specific compostable environment to degrade which includes warm temperatures, nutrients, moisture and plenty of oxygen.

On the other hand, Biodegradable is mainly used in plastics, where these break down into microplastics faster than regular plastic, in any conditions (compost, landfill, soil). It is possible to find biodegradable products made from plant based materials (like plants, corn oil, or starch) or petroleum-based plastic easier to degrade. Compared with the composting process, biodegradable products can take several months to break down and some recent studies found that some of these products degrade to leave toxic waste behind. This toxic waste is called microplastics, so even if you cannot see it, these micro materials have toxic components for our environment.

The main differences between these materials are that biodegradable products could be referring to any material which breaks down and degrades in the environment, whereas compostable products are only organic elements that degrade in the environment.  Compostable products that break down in compostable environments will only leave behind beneficial residual products like fertilizers and others which improve the soil health. On the contrary, biodegradable plastic depends on the element of fabrication which means that some of them can leave micro toxic waste residue behind.