What does biodegradable and compostable mean?
Biodegradation occurs when under the right conditions the microbes in the environment can break down materials and use them as a food source. It is a process that can take place in many environments including soils, compost sites, water treatment facilities, marine environments and even in the human body. This is the process that converts carbon into energy and maintains life. In order for plastics to biodegrade they must go through a two-step process: 1) The long polymer chains are shortened at the carbon-carbon bonds. This process can be initiated by heat, moisture, microbial enzymes or other environmental conditions, depending on the polymer. This step is called “degradation” and you know it is occurring because the plastic becomes weak and will easily fragment. 2) The shorter carbon chains pass through the cell walls of the microbes and are used as an energy source. Biodegradation occurs when the carbon chains are utilized as a food source and are fully converted into water, biomas
