Biodegradable or compostable? A jargon busting explanation.

With the arrival of the brand Seep and our latest A Slice of Green additions, it's time to talk rubbish!

We want to make sustainable decisions when it comes to buying home cleaning products. But the use of certain buzzwords like biodegradable and compostable can be confusing. What do they mean and what is the best choice to make for eco reasons? 

Biodegradable

What does it mean?

A product described as biodegradable means it can be broken down by natural processes and organisms like fungi or bacteria.

However, products labelled as biodegradable can take from one to one thousand plus years to break down. Biodegradable plastic bottles and bags for instance will take many hundreds of years to degrade into small pieces.

Do biodegradable product always decompose into natural safe materials in the ground?

Not always, micro plastics and other toxins may be present after. And not if they are buried in landfill site where light and oxygen are absent.

Compostable and home compostable

What does it mean?

These items will breakdown completely and quickly into organic rich soil. They leave behind no harmful residues and they pose no harm to the environment if disposed of properly. They have a positive impact on the environment by breaking down into important nutrients soil needs to thrive. 

Which is better?

So the difference here is evident in the name. Products labelled compostable may have to be sent to a commercial composting site for the correct conditions to break down. These are not available everywhere in the UK and we find such labels a bit misleading so we prefer 'Home Compostable'! These items- used cellulose sponges, packaging materials etc are as compostable as your food waste. So if you have a home compost bin, cut them up and chuck them in. If you have a local council food waste delivery - by all means add them to your food waste bin.

What if I haven't got a home compost bin?

Don't worry! It's easy to dispose of compostable items in your usual household waste. And be secure in the knowledge that you have not added to the growing problem of plastic waste.

If you have a garden with loose soil - you could cut compostable items up to small pieces and bury them! They will decompose in the soil, it just takes a bit longer than a compost bin.

What about Seep and ekologik?

All our Seep home cleaning items, with the exception of the copper scourers are home compostable. Even the packaging. We wanted to make it simple to choose well, so the rubber gloves (yes!) loofah and cellulose scourers and sponges and the plant based plastic bin liners can go in your home compost bin if you have one. 

ekologik cleaning pods are plant based and come in home compostable packaging. These clever cleaning pods are pre-dosed with a bottles worth of concentrated eco-friendly cleaner. Simply add to your squirty or spray bottle with 500ml water and shake. You can also choose floor cleaning pods and washing up pods. As all the packaging is home compostable and there are no bottles to buy- this is a genuine no waste cleaning solution!

The A Slice of Green cellulose sponges are completely home compostable and unpackaged, making it even easier to choose a sustainable sponge.

Making sure that we add disposal instructions is important to us at Everyday Green, it makes us think about each and every product we offer you and it's overall impact on the environment. We believe it is the responsible thing to do. 

Please do look at our Journal and Green Guides for more tips and eco info!

Kate