
What do biodegradable, compostable, and degradable mean?
One of the fastest growing trends in catering services is the shift from traditional disposable items and catering service products to environmentally friendly choices. When people search for environmentally friendly products, they often encounter statements such as biodegradable, degradable, and soluble.
The differences between biodegradable, biodegradable, and compostable products, as well as how to achieve zero waste with environmentally friendly disposable products, have aroused people’s curiosity.
Biodegradable, compostable, and biodegradable products are made from different materials and degrade under different conditions. Biodegradable refers to products that are biodegraded into natural elements, carbon dioxide, and water vapor by bacteria and fungi. Technically speaking, almost anything is biodegradable, but many things take thousands of years to biodegrade. However, in order to use biodegradable labels, products and materials must be quickly separated into natural materials. The generally acceptable biodegradation time is between 6-9 months. Biodegradable products decompose much faster than other types of products, into environmentally friendly carbon dioxide, water vapor, and organic matter, and are sourced from sustainable materials and plant by-products such as corn starch or sugarcane.
Compostable means that the product will decompose into natural elements, but only in a composting environment. Compostable materials typically come from plants and other organic materials such as corn starch, sugarcane bagasse, or PLA plastic. Compared to biodegradable products, compostable products have two additional advantages: they degrade faster, mostly within 90 days, and they can also become nutrient rich products, creating healthy soil for the planet.

On the other hand, biodegradable products are usually oil-based and can be decomposed by microorganisms, not organic decomposition, but through chemical reactions. Unlike biodegradable products, plastics can decompose in airless environments such as landfills. However, they did not completely decompose and transform into organic matter. On the contrary, they decompose into microscopic fragments that can still affect the environment. Similarly, this poses a risk to the environment. Compared to biodegradable or compostable materials, the degradation time of the product is much longer.