What’s the difference between biodegradable and compostable products?
Biodegradable plastic is a degradable plastic in which the degradation must result from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms, such as fungi or bacteria. Compostable plastic is a plastic that undergoes biological degradation during composting to yield carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials, such as cellulose, leaving no visually distinguishable or toxic residues. Biodegradability does not necessarily mean compostability but is one of the components of compostability. In addition, compostability requires disintegration of 90% of the material to a size less than 2mm, and also mandates that the compostable material does not create any eco-toxicity in the soil.
