The amount of plastic waste being generated by consumers is staggering. In the United States alone, Americans discarded 6.4 billion pounds of plastic in 2019, according to research from the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company. These numbers are expected to increase if no action is taken soon. The need for sustainable solutions such as compostable packaging has never been more important than today.
Plastic is a big problem. It takes hundreds of years to break down, and its use has been responsible for the deaths of millions of marine animals. Now, a new way to deal with plastic is compostable packaging. Compostable packaging is made from plants or natural materials like corn starch or wheat bran that can be broken down by microorganisms in the soil over time. This means less plastic waste ending up in landfills and is even better news for our planet.
So what are these amazing new products? Here is an overview:
Compostable packaging for food and wrap made from plant-based materials like cottonseed cake or sugarcane stalks,
Food containers made from corn starch or wheat bran,
Drink cups made from either paperboard or PLA/PHA blends durable enough for hot liquids but still biodegradable when soaked in water.
And here is how they work: When you use one of these options instead of traditional plasticware at home or work, you are doing something good for both yourself and the environment.
Why Recycling Isn't Enough?
Recycling is not enough. Plastic is not biodegradable and will continue to be a problem as long as we use it.
Plastic waste is a huge problem: Between plastic bottles, bags, and packaging material, we produce over 4 billion tons of it every year. That is more than all of the fish in the ocean combined. In addition to being toxic, plastic waste also contributes to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases during its manufacture or disposal, and that number keeps rising.
In 2016 alone, there was an increase from 7 million metric tons up to 8 million metric tons worldwide, according to NOAA Fisheries Service data released last month at their annual meeting held annually in Juneau, Alaska, where state fisheries managers gather with experts from universities across the country discussing ongoing research projects related topics such as habitat loss due to coastal erosion caused by global warming, etc.
Why Do Consumers Need To Care?
When you think about the plastic waste problem, it is easy to get swept up in the idea that we're just one generation away from a world without plastic. But we already live in one, and it is not as far off as some would like us to believe.
The truth is that we've been consuming and producing more and more packaging than ever before. In fact, according to a report by World Economic Forum (WEF) released last year, nearly half of all global carbon emissions are caused by manufacturing and transporting packages containing plastic bags or other types of packaging material. This means they are not only hazardous to wildlife but also harmful to our health and environment as well.
Compostable Packaging Is Eco-Friendly and Sustainable
Compostable food packaging is eco-friendly, sustainable, and biodegradable. It is also environmentally friendly. Compostable packaging is a term that refers to any type of material that can be composted or converted into soil for growing plants.
The composting process involves breaking down organic materials into soil-like material through bacterial action in anaerobic conditions. The most common types of compostable include paper, cardboard, plastic bags, glass bottles and cans, plastic containers, and bags made from PET plastic.
How Does It Work?
Compostable packaging is a form of plastic that breaks down in the composting process. It is made from plant-based materials and can be recycled once it has reached a certain level of degradation. Compostable packaging has several advantages over traditional plastic and paper:
1. It is easier to recycle because it does not go into landfills or incinerators after use.
2. It does not contribute to pollution because its components biodegrade upon contact with water or oxygen.
3. Because they are made from natural sources rather than petroleum products, they do not contain harmful chemicals that leach out into our bodies after prolonged exposure, making them good for humans and animals.
What Are the Benefits of Compostable Packaging?
To understand more deeply why customers are looking toward compostable packaging, here are some incredible benefits linked to compostable packaging:
Improved Sustainability
Compostable packaging is a great way to reduce waste and can also be used as an alternative to traditional plastic. In fact, many compostable products are created from recycled materials that have been repurposed into products with better sustainability credentials than their non-compostable counterparts. Compost production is another option when looking at the increased use of packaging in the food industry.
Composting is a sustainable method of disposing of organic waste that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our planet future by creating valuable soil nutrients while providing jobs for farmers who use this method on farms worldwide.
Reduced Pollution
This is a big win for the environment. The lack of biodegradable plastics in our oceans and beaches will help reduce pollution, and the reduction of non-biodegradable plastic in landfills means less garbage.
In addition to reducing landfill waste, this could also mean fewer trees being cut down for paper packaging materials or energy used in manufacturing those compostable packaging material, which would result in less carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Enhanced Growth of Crops and Trees
Compostable packaging can also be used to grow plants, mushrooms, and even vegetables. In fact, some companies have begun selling compostable packaging that can be used as a growing medium for seeds or cuttings. This means that you do not need any special equipment or knowledge of gardening in order to grow your own food.
This is an exciting development because it means that we will be able to produce more food locally while still protecting the environment from harmful chemicals in plastics and everything else.
Reduced Soil Erosion and Water Pollution
Compostable packaging is a new way to address the two biggest problems in consumerism: soil erosion and water pollution.
Soil erosion is a problem that affects millions of acres of land around the world, especially in developing countries where there are few regulations on how much land can be farmed or how much water it takes to produce crops. In addition, if you are importing food products from another country, there is also a chance that your package could contain waste materials from those farms and then they will end up in landfill sites or running off into waterways where they pollute drinking water sources with chemicals like pesticides or fertilizers.
Compostable packaging can help address both issues related to soil erosion because it prevents any plastic from leaching into the soil after it has been used once; however, compostable packaging does not prevent all levels of contamination since there may still be some microplastics present even after being recycled properly by companies like Coca-Cola who use PLA plastic for their bottles instead because it doesn't break down as easily as PET does.
Increased Environmental Protection on Land and Sea
The benefits to the environment of compostable packaging are numerous. These include reduced pollution of land and sea, reduced erosion of soil, water pollution, and increased protection of animals and wildlife. Compostable packaging also positively impacts climate change due to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It can also be used as an alternative to plastic in situations where traditional polypropylene plastics cannot be recycled because they contain toxic chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA) or phthalates, which have been linked to various health problems, including birth defects in babies born prematurely due to their mothers being exposed during pregnancy.
Enhanced Animal Health and Wildlife Protection
One of the biggest reasons to go with reusable packaging is that it is better for the environment. Reusable packaging can be used multiple times, which means you are not spending resources on making one-off plastic bags or cardboard boxes. Compostable packaging materials are reusable and would end up in landfills otherwise, which can reduce your carbon footprint significantly.
Additionally, reusable packaging helps protect animals from harm: because food does not need to be individually packaged into sealed containers before being shipped across oceans and continents, your reusable product does not have to be thrown away if someone else gets sick or injured because of what was inside. Plus, it protects humans and wildlife from harmful chemicals like dyes and pesticides in many harmful products.
Reduced Impacts on Climate Change, Natural Disasters, and Human Disease
Compostable packaging can also positively impact the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. When compostable packaging bags or wraps are reused for composting, less plastic is used to make them than it would take to produce new ones from scratch. This means that there's less waste in landfills and fewer harmful chemicals leaching into our soil.
Compostable packaging also reduces water pollution because it doesn't allow contaminants such as heavy metals or dyes into waterways when thrown out with garbage at home or work. If you are wondering whether your local government provides recycling bins for paper products like pizza boxes and milk cartons, they do. They just are not always labeled as recyclable, so if you see something labeled compostable," feel free to toss it in any way.
Moving Forward With Home Composting and Reusable Packaging
Plastic packaging is one of the most prolific contributors to marine pollution, but it is not just plastic that we're talking about here. Reusable packaging can be made from a variety of materials, including paper and cardboard.
The easiest way to start composting at home is by using food waste as the main ingredient in your compost pile or bin. You can also use scraps from other areas of your life, like peelings from potatoes or egg shells to help build up the pile over time. If you do not have a garden where you can plant or sow seeds directly into the soil, consider buying some plants instead. They will grow quickly and produce fresh fruit & veg while saving on packaging costs.
Further Reading: Upcycling: Give Packaging a Second Life with These Creative Tips
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the future of compostable packaging looks bright. The use of compostable packaging has many benefits for both businesses and consumers, from improved environmental protection to reduced impacts on climate change, natural disasters, and human disease.
Furthermore, as more businesses adopt these practices in their operations, more people will understand why this is important for our planet and hopefully start making choices that support it.
