Biodegradable vs. Compostable: What's the Difference
In the last decade, the words “biodegradable” and “compostable” have become common buzzwords, often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same.
While both terms refer to materials that break down naturally, the processes, timeframes, and end results differ significantly — and those differences affect everything from soil health to greenhouse gas emissions.
Want to make more sustainable choices, and know when to reach for biodegradable vs. compostable materials?
Use these insights from Grove’s sustainability experts to make informed decisions that not only reduce your carbon footprint, but also support the health of our home planet.
What does “biodegradable” mean?
Biodegradable products are designed to naturally break down into their most basic organic components over time, typically within a couple years. This process is powered by natural forces like fungi, bacteria, minerals, and even exposure to sunlight or air.
For an item to be truly biodegradable, it should decompose without introducing toxins, polluting the environment, or harming wildlife. Biodegradable materials also need to break down quickly enough to avoid disrupting ecosystems or impeding plant growth.
Need to dispose of some biodegradable products? The best way to dispose of biodegradable materials like food scraps and small amounts of paper, is through composting. Composting not only helps reduce waste in landfills but also turns organic material into nutrient-rich compost that can be used to enrich soil. Larger amounts of clean paper should be recycled instead of composted. Consider starting a home compost, or explore if you have local access to a community composting program or municipal composting through your waste provider.
Are there any issues with biodegradable products?
There is no specified time limit for the biodegradable breakdown process. And while biodegradable products do eventually break down, they can produce methane gas during decomposition which can pose environmental risks.
On the bright side, researchers at North Carolina State University suggest that creating products designed to biodegrade more slowly could mitigate this impact by reducing the rate of methane release and allowing more of the gas to be captured before it reaches the atmosphere.¹
What does “compostable” mean?
Biodegradable and compostable materials are very similar, since they're both capable of breaking down into natural elements — if you’ve mixed the terms up in the past, you’re not alone! The main difference is that compostable items go one step further in protecting the environment: they supply the earth with nutrient-rich soil once they've fully broken down.² The breakdown process usually takes around 90 days, and compostable substances leave no inorganic residue behind.
How can you tell if something is compostable?
You can be confident that items like fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and other food waste are compostable — but don’t compost meat or other animal products (aside from eggshells).
When choosing products that claim to be compostable, it’s important to ensure they are genuinely certified as compostable. Many products may claim to be compostable, but only those that have been independently certified will break down effectively in composting environments, without leaving behind harmful residues.
Look for certification marks such as those from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) or other recognized third-party organizations that rigorously test products to ensure they are actually compostable. A certified compostable product is proven to decompose within a specific time frame in a commercial composting facility or in some cases a home compost system.
Can all compostable products go in my home compost?
Not quite! When you pick up a product that says “compostable” on the front, you might be surprised to discover some fine print on the back.
Many materials need special conditions in order to break down, and can’t be composted in your backyard pile or kitchen bin.
Usually, these materials require controlled temperatures and applied pressure, so a mechanical composter is the safest route to turn the material into new healthy soil.
Since mechanical composters aren’t widely available for homes yet, these materials must be sent to a commercial composting facility. If you don’t have a local facility, you can toss them out to be broken down in the landfill.
How to compost at home
Composting at home is a great way to keep food out of landfills, fight climate change, and produce rich healthy soil that plants love. Best of all — composting is easy with the right tools. Follow these simple steps to turn your used food scraps into rich compost:
Step 1: Pick a spot for your compost pile
Choose a spot in your backyard to make your compost pile. If you put the compost pile in a sunny location, it’ll break down faster, but a shady spot will work, too.
Step 2: Collect your food scraps
Collect all of the plant-based food scraps from your kitchen — fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, tea bags, and so on. Find a container to store your scraps in until you're ready to take them outside.
Step 3: Make your compost mix
The two main ingredients in composting are "greens" that add much-needed nitrogen and "browns" that are very carbon-rich. Greens are your food scraps and grass clippings while browns are dryer items like dried leaves and paper egg cartons. Start your pile with a layer of browns that will allow the compost mix to aerate. Then, add a layer of greens, and continue to alternate. Leave a layer of browns at the very top of your pile to keep odors and insects away.
Are compostable and biodegradable items better than recyclable items?
When disposed of properly, compostable items eventually break down completely into rich compost you can add to your garden. Biodegradable items will also break down over time, but they typically aren't used to grow new plants, fruits, or vegetables.
Recyclable products, on the other hand, can be transformed into raw materials that can be used to create new resources. That said, recycling still requires energy, and the American recycling system isn’t very efficient. Only 5% of plastic gets recycled, no matter how much you put in the bin.³
Overall, choosing products that can be composted at home or biodegrade safely is often the best option, but you have the power to discover which items work best in your home. And that starts with one simple action — checking labels as you shop and taking the product’s entire lifecycle into consideration.
Sources:
1 Shipman, M. (2011, May 31). Study: Biodegradable Products May Be Bad For The Environment. NC State News. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://news.ncsu.edu/2011/05/wms-barlaz-biodegradable/
2 Western Disposal Services: Biodegradable Vs. Compostable
3 Greenpeace. (2022, October 24). New Greenpeace report: Plastic recycling is a dead-end street – year after year, plastic recycling declines even as plastic waste increases. Greenpeace USA. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/new-greenpeace-report-plastic-recycling-is-a-dead-end-street-year-after-year-plastic-recycling-declines-even-as-plastic-waste-increases/
