Everyone loves a green company. So why are we using plastic over biodegradable or compostable packaging?
We have actually started with compostable packaging, but after doing more research on how we can be more green, we have found that for our area, compostable packaging is actually bad. How could that be? What many businesses that sell compostable packaging don't tell you, is that there are certain ratings for how compostable or biodegradable packaging is. The packaging that we are able to obtain is certified compostable in a commercial facility. That means, you can not compost the packaging at home.
If you can't compost the packaging at home, that raises the question, "Is throwing away compostable packaging better than throwing away plastic?" The answer might surprise you. Throwing away certified commercial compostable plastic is actually worse than throwing away normal plastic. When this type of compostable packaging makes its way to a landfill, the packaging can't compost at normal temperature. This means the packaging will sit in the landfill until it gets buried. To compost, the compostable item needs to have oxygen too. After a long time, the packaging goes through a process without oxygen and releases methane. This is what makes throwing away commercially compostable products arguably worse than throwing away plastic.
If we had a commercial facility that could compost the packaging, then of course, it would be better than plastic. Unfortunately, we do not have a commercial facility in our area. That is why we have chosen PET plastic and ask that our customers recycle the packaging.
The moral of the story: please recycle!
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