{"id":867,"date":"2021-09-20T08:34:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T08:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dispak.co.za\/blisterpack\/the-journey-to-victory-is-most-important-2\/"},"modified":"2021-09-22T14:24:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T14:24:52","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-compostable-recyclable-and-biodegradable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dispak.co.za\/blisterpack\/what-is-the-difference-between-compostable-recyclable-and-biodegradable\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between Compostable, Recyclable and Biodegradable?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Introduction<\/h3>\n
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In this post we\u2019ll define what Compostable, Recyclable and Biodegradable acutally means. Companies today are more socially responsible and aware of their environmental footprints than ever before, But do we truly understand what these terms mean and why they are important to \u2018sustainability\u2019 and the impact on the evironment. The definitions are sometimes vague and there\u2019s no way of knowing how much of an impact you\u2019re having on the environment. As defined by <\/em>Youmatter<\/em><\/a> Sustainability is usually defined as the processes and actions through which humankind avoids the depletion of natural resources, in order to keep an ecological balance that doesn\u2019t allow the quality of life of modern societies to decrease.\u00a0 Characterized improvements in areas like natural resource overexploitation, manufacturing operations (its energy use and polluting subproducts), the linear consumption of products, the direction of investments, citizen lifestyle, consumer purchasing behaviours, technological developments or business and general institutional changes. As long as an action causes little, less, or no harm to the natural world.<\/em><\/p>\n

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So what is the difference between Compostable, Recyclable and Biodegradable?<\/h3>\n
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Recycling<\/em><\/strong> is the process of taking a product and breaking it down to use it again, often as a raw material.<\/em><\/p>\n

Composting<\/em><\/strong> is a way to turn items made of natural materials back into a nutrient rich soil.<\/em><\/p>\n

Biodegradable<\/em><\/strong> is a substance that can break down naturally without causing any harm.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Why is knowing what the difference between Compostable, Recyclable and Biodegradable Important?<\/h3>\n
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\u201cRecyclable\u201d, \u201ccompostable\u201d, and, \u201cbiodegradable,\u201d are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably when describing materials. However, there are important differences between them which are significant \u2013 especially when it comes to being less wasteful, using resources correctly and making sustainable choices.<\/em><\/p>\n

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As discribed by <\/em>Statista<\/em><\/a> Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of various everyday items, such as uneaten food, household appliances, clothing, and plastic packaging. Once collected by the appointed company, waste is then transported to sites to be either landfilled, recycled, composted, or recovered. Although recycling rates have been improving, landfilling is still the most common form of\u00a0<\/em>waste disposal and treatment worldwide<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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# Recyclable<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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These are materials that can be reprocessed into new products. Materials like glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics can all be recycled. \u00a0There are many other materials that can be recycled. Following the \u201creduce, reuse, recycle,\u201d waste hierarchy this prevents resources being lost into landfill or incineration. Items can either be recycled into the same product (e.g. glass bottles into glass bottles) or into a lower grade material (e.g. writing paper into a loo roll)<\/em><\/p>\n

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As per\u00a0<\/em>Macfarlane packaging<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Recycling is the process of converting used materials into something new, keeping products away from a landfill, for longer. But\u00a0<\/em>there are limits<\/em><\/a>\u00a0to how many times some materials can be recycled. Retailers and manufacturers can help customers by including clearer recycling information on their packaging.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The finite number of times some materials can be recycled before they are unusable and have to go to landfill (<\/em>link<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n