Simon Hopes

There are many hotly debated rubbish clearance issues when considering how to reduce our ecological impact. One of these contentious issues is whether or not "biodegradable plastic" is really ecofriendly. Let's explore some of the most important details about this issue.

First, many people assume that if they bin plastic that has been labeled "biodegradable," it will just magically decompose and go away. This is NOT true. If you put "biodegradable plastic" in your rubbish clearance bin, and it ends up at the landfill, rotting away under anaerobic conditions, at best it will produce a plethora of methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is more than twenty times more destructive than carbon monoxide. At worst, if it is some type biodegradable plastic made from fossil fuels (many are!), it won't decompose any faster than regular plastic. It may even still contain some of the nasty chemicals, like dioxin, we associate with regular plastics.

Most biodegradable plastics cannot actually be composted, as most people seem to imagine when they hear or see the word "biodegradable." In most cases, biodegradable plastics marketed as being a more ecofriendly type of rubbish clearance, must be subjected to UV, high temperature, or a certain chemical process before actual breakdown by microorganisms can begin. In other words, you can't just put most biodegradable plastic in your garden compost pile as it won't break down. Additionally, even the type that is designed for compost usually doesn't break down all the way.

Further, if you put biodegradable plastic in the kerbside recycle bin, in most cases, it cannot be recycled where it ends up! This is because it takes a special process to recycle biodegradable plastic and most councils just don't have these types of facilities. Further, they don't even having the sorting process set up to send different types of biodegradable plastic to a special facility. To make matters worse, if you mix the biodegradable plastic with regular plastics that are normally recycled, the regular plastic may not be recycled as it normally would because it gets discarded due to being mixed with items that cannot be recycled by your council service.

So, in the cases described above, could the biodegradable plastic, so often touted as an "ecofriendly" or "environmentally friendly" rubbish clearance solution, actually be considered ecofriendly? Not even close! It's often just marketing hype that we should actually ignore.

The best type of biodegradable plastic would be a bioplastic made from non-toxic plant material such as corn starch. Polylactide acid (PLA) plastic (long polymers of polylactide acid) is made from corn starch and is often used to made food containers, beverage containers, and plastic utensils. However, most of the time, this PLA plastic is made from GMO corn, which uses far more pesticides and herbicides than non-GMO corn, so it's not exactly an "ecofriendly" rubbish clearance solution either, even though it is usually marketed as such.

Frankly, it is much more ecofriendly to carry a reusable cup and reusable utensils in your purse or day pack. This way, you don't have to worry about whether or not the "biodegradable plastic" cup and or spoon you are using will ever actually be broken down once it goes into rubbish clearance. It's also much more ecofriendly to find reusable versions of other common disposable plastic items such as shopping bags, bulk bin bags, sandwich/snack bags, and razors.

If you're looking for a way to be more ecofriendly with your rubbish clearance practices, consider changing your rubbish clearance service. Most private citizens and businesses just default to the rubbish clearance service offered by their local council. However, there are private rubbish clearance services that are much more ecofriendly. Switching to one of these ecofriendly private rubbish clearance services can dramatically lower your ecological footprint.

The best example of a private ecofriendly rubbish clearance service in the UK is a company called Clearabee. While many so called "rubbish clearance" companies that advertise on Facebook actually fly tip the rubbish they collect, making them an environmental disaster, Clearabee has earned a well deserved reputation for being one of the most ecofriendly businesses in Europe.

Clearabee NEVER fly tips! They even automatically provide proof of this. Moreover, they have developed a system whereby they divert about ninety percent of all the rubbish they collect from the landfill. This includes all types of plastic, "biodegradable" and otherwise. Instead of automatically taking rubbish to the landfills, they instead do everything they can to have the rubbish reused, recycled, or upcycled!

Bottom line, "biodegradable plastics" are at the very best only weakly better than using regular plastics. They do not constitute a real ecofriendly improvement in how you deal with your rubbish clearance. You do much better using the ideas described above. Good luck and thanks for your interest in becoming more ecofriendly.