{"id":336,"date":"2019-01-28T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startersites.io\/blocksy\/consultant\/?p=336"},"modified":"2025-11-17T21:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T21:20:19","slug":"the-truth-about-biodegradable-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/2019\/01\/28\/the-truth-about-biodegradable-plastics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About Biodegradable Plastics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBiodegradable\u201d sounds good \u2014 but when it comes to plastic, the truth is much messier.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Biodegradable means that a substance can be broken down by living organisms. But traditional plastic is a completely synthetic material \u2014 and not naturally biodegradable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet somehow, \u201cbiodegradable plastic\u201d<\/strong> has entered the conversation. So\u2026 what\u2019s really going on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What Plastic Really Is<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Plastic is one of the most versatile materials ever created. It\u2019s in nearly every aspect of modern life \u2014 especially in the tourism and hospitality industry. But here\u2019s the problem: plastics are not natural.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, most plastic bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)<\/strong>. These bottles are designed for single use \u2014 but it takes hundreds of years<\/strong> for them to degrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: That\u2019s degrade<\/em>, not biodegrade<\/em>. Bacteria don\u2019t digest plastic. Instead, it breaks down from UV radiation and friction into smaller and smaller pieces \u2014 eventually becoming microplastics<\/strong>. These fragments remain in the environment, potentially forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

So What Is \u201cBiodegradable Plastic\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To tackle the growing pollution problem, the plastic industry introduced the idea of \u201cbiodegradable plastics.\u201d But this term is vague<\/strong>, confusing<\/strong>, and often misleading<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two main types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Oxo-degradable \/ photodegradable plastics<\/strong>
    These use oxygen, light, heat, and moisture to break down faster \u2014 but they often leave toxic residue<\/strong> and still release methane<\/strong> in landfills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bioplastics (PLA)<\/strong>
    Often made from corn starch<\/strong>, this plastic (polylactic acid or PLA) requires high heat (above 80\u00b0C)<\/strong> and special bacteria<\/strong> to break down. This only happens in industrial composting facilities<\/strong> \u2014 of which there are very few worldwide<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    -> In a regular landfill, these so-called biodegradable plastics won\u2019t break down any better<\/strong> than regular plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A study by Michigan State University found no difference<\/strong> in degradation between plastics with additives and conventional plastics in real-world conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    What Does \u201cBiodegradable\u201d Actually Mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry<\/strong>, there are three stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Primary<\/strong> \u2013 Altering the chemical properties of the material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Environmentally Acceptable<\/strong> \u2013 Reducing environmental harm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Ultimate<\/strong> \u2013 Complete breakdown into water, CO\u2082, methane, or other simple compounds.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Ironically, some of the byproducts of this breakdown process can be more harmful<\/strong> than plastic itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      So What Can You Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Let\u2019s be clear: Plastic is not going away overnight<\/strong>. But not all single-use items are bad \u2014 as long as they are truly compostable or recyclable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Here\u2019s what we recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Use plant- or fiber-based containers<\/strong> (e.g. bagasse).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Switch to paper straws<\/strong> instead of plastic ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Say no to single-use hotel amenities<\/strong> unless they are biodegradable & compostable<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Choose reusable<\/strong> options wherever possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Be honest and transparent with your guests about your efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        Final Thought<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        The term \u201cbiodegradable plastic\u201d<\/strong> might sound promising, but the science and real-world evidence show a different picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The best path forward?
        Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.<\/strong> And most importantly \u2014 Rethink<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        Original script adapted from Trace Dominguez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Edited & republished by Norman Stankewitz, Sunsai Nature<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u201cBiodegradable\u201d sounds good \u2014 but when it comes to plastic, the truth is much messier. Biodegradable means that a substance can be broken down by living organisms. But traditional plastic is a completely synthetic material \u2014 and not naturally biodegradable. Yet somehow, \u201cbiodegradable plastic\u201d has entered the conversation. So\u2026 what\u2019s really going on? What Plastic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,12,10,14,13,11],"class_list":["post-336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability-environment","tag-biodegradable-plastic","tag-eco-friendly-alternatives","tag-greenwashing","tag-hospitality-waste","tag-pla","tag-plastic-pollution"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":993,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336\/revisions\/993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sunsainature.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}