Conserve, Preserve, Protect, Recycle

 

 

Biodegradable Packaging

 

Biodegradation is the chemical breakdown of materials by a physiological environment. The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management and environmental remediation (bioremediation). Organic material can be degraded aerobically with oxygen, or anaerobically, without oxygen. A term related to biodegradation is biomineralisation, in which organic matter is converted into minerals. Biosurfactant, an extracellular surfactant secreted by microorganisms, enhances the biodegradation process.

 

Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms. Some microorganisms have the astonishing, naturally occurring, microbial catabolic diversity to degrade, transform or accumulate a huge range of compounds including hydrocarbons (e.g. oil), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pharmaceutical substances, radionuclides and metals. Major methodological breakthroughs in microbial biodegradation have enabled detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganisms providing unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of microorganisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

 

Plastic Packaging

 

Biodegradable plastics . There are other plastic materials that claim biodegradability, but are more often (and possibly more accurately) described as 'degradable' or oxo-degradable; It is claimed that this process causes more rapid breakdown of the plastic materials into CO2 and H2O. There are newer biodegradable plastic technologies on the market today which do encourage microbial biodegradation. This is achieved by adding back into the polymer organic compounds which will attract microorganisms when placed into a microbial environment.

 

Compostable Packaging

 

Compost is a combination of food waste and brown waste that is being decomposed through aerobic decomposition into a rich black soil. The process of composting is simple and practiced by individuals in their homes, farmers on their land, and industrially by cities. Many, unbleached and undyed paper products are compostable. Compost soil is very rich soil and used for many purposes. A few of the places that it is used are in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, and agriculture. The compost soil itself is beneficial for the land in many ways including a soil conditioner, a fertilizer to add vital humus or humic acids, and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems compost soil is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

 

Given enough time, all biodegradable material will oxidize to "compost". One objective of composting today is to treat readily degradable materials that may otherwise enter landfills, and decompose anaerobically, releasing greenhouse gases. Most small-scale domestic systems are not maintained at the thermophilic temperatures required to eliminate possible pathogens and disease vectors, or deter vermin, therefore pet droppings, meat scrap, and dairy products are best left to larger scale high-rate, aerobic composting systems. A local green waste recycling facility may operate such a system.

 

 

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