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The White Plastic Epidemic
What Is It? Why Is It So Bad?
THE FUTURE IS COMPOSTABLE
Why Should It Matter To Your Company?
We’re going to guess if you’re reading this, you’re probably an eco-friendly person already. And since you are eco-friendly, we can also guess that you are already against the idea of plastic pollution.
We all know it ruins the world to have plastic pollution in the oceans, on our land and hurting animals. But there’s one kind of plastic that is worse than others: white plastic. The kind that forms plastic straws, forks, knives, and more.
Because when we have that kind of plastic pollution in the ocean, it can be very dangerous to innocent animals. It’s this plastic – made exclusively by humans – that nature can’t digest.
So today we’re going to look at the white plastic epidemic – and learn where it comes from, the unfortunate effects, and what YOU can do to fight it.
How Is Plastic Made?
Plastic actually starts out as organic and naturally-occurring compounds like plant cellulose and crude oil. The most popular types of plastics are called polypropylene and polyethylene and they are made from petroleum.
Petroleum has many components, two of which are natural ethane and propane gas that fuel many modern conveniences. Once these two compounds are “cracked” in high-temperature furnaces, and combined with a catalyst – they become a powdered polymer.
Then all the poison additives are melded into the plastic in a giant blender. It is melted, extruded (or forced through a forming die) and then cooled and chopped up into chunks that manufacturers purchase.
What starts as a natural biodegradable substance becomes unnatural and toxic through this process.
Times are changing. Only a few years ago, it was prohibitively expensive and difficult to replace your plastic packaging with compostable alternatives. Some companies even justified it as eco-friendlier to use plastic for the time being.
NOW, there is NO EXCUSE to continue using horrible, extremely toxic petroleum-based plastics in your packaging. Especially if you manufacture organic food, beverages, or cosmetics. ALL petroleum-based plastics leak BPA-like chemicals into your products and go on to harm and kill thousands of animals worldwide during manufacturing and after your customers dispose of them.
Biodegradable Vs Compostable
What’s The Difference?
Did you know that the difference between these two very similar words makes a BIG difference in our planet’s health?
One of these words could refer to something that pollutes our water or land for more than 200 years, while the other refers to something which completely disintegrates without a trace in only 3 months.
Do you know which one is which? In this article, we’re going to look at the differences and ask the question: “biodegradable vs compostable – which one is better for the environment?”
“Biodegradable” Sounds Good, But It Isn’t!
Biodegradable materials, by definition, are materials that will become absorbed by the environment, and naturally go back to nature. So what could be wrong with that? Well, the only problem is there is NO time frame on biodegrading… And almost everything biodegrades eventually! It could be 200 years from now or 1,000 years from now – technically it could still be CALLED biodegradable.
That’s the problem. Because there are no real requirements to claim that something is made of biodegradable materials (other than it eventually biodegrades), it doesn’t really mean anything.The worst part is imagining how much “biodegradable” plastic is at the bottom of the ocean right now, affecting the gentle creatures there and causing them harm… Because “eventually” it will biodegrade in 200 years! It makes us shudder.
Luckily, there is something much better.
“Compostable” Ultimately Means Good For The Environment!
Composting, on the other hand, has very rigorous standards – and timelines. For something to be called “compostable” it has to be able to be fully composted within a 12-week industrial composting process.
What is compost? It’s enriched soil that is frequently used as fertilizer. At the very least, a compostable item has to fully disintegrate into soil, leaving no trace toxicity behind.
That’s really different from the definition of biodegradable, isn’t it? There are multiple types of composting.
Composting You Can Do At Home
Do-It-Yourself composting is good for making compost from yard cuttings, small quantities of food scraps, and paper.
Before you begin making compost, it’s important to know what kinds of organic materials will turn to compost under which kinds of conditions.
That is too large of a topic for this particular article to cover, but here are some of the various ways you can create a compost environment:
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Vermiculture or worms
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Aerated static pile
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Onsite composting
So What’s REALLY The Best For The Planet?
We all use things and then those things go off to somewhere else. Ultimately, what matters is the end result. When you get rid of biodegradable plastic, it could be around for 200 years – who knows where it might end up? It may end up hampering a sea animal’s ability to swim, or it could end up in another country on a massive garbage pile, adding more damage to our already hurting planet.
When you dispose of compostable plastic at your local composting facility, they use it to make compost within 12 weeks. And shortly thereafter, it can be used as fertilizer to help new plants grow.
It ends up contributing to life again in a very short period of time.
The reason we’ve chosen compostable plastic for all of our products is because we believe in the harmony of life and that all of us have this one planet that we need to take care of together.
Instead of spreading the problem, compostable plastic can be a part of the solution. Do you want to be part of the solution, too? Then replace your plastic products with compostable alternatives!
