The difference between biodegradable and compostable

Biological plastic and biodegradable plastic both are new type materials which are beneficial to environmental protection. "Biodegradable" and "Compostable" is the term usually used in discussing these materials. They are similar but are little different.

Biodegradable plastic is the plastic which can as germ's food to be completely degraded. When we think that what is biodegradable thing, most people think that this kind of thing can be completely degraded, no matter in wasteyard or in compost or expose in the sun or drop in water. In fact, biodegradable plastic need to some time to be degraded by germ effect (bacterial and fungal).

It needs to add 5% corn starch or vegetable oil when make biodegradable plastic, but according to EIA said that starch or oil additives will do some effect on renewable plastic quality, so biodegradable plastic can not be renewable.

Except biodegraded by germ, it needs to meet a time requirement to call a kind of plastic as compostable plastic. For example, in some standard, these kinds of materials need to be biodegraded within 180 days in industrialized compostable environment. If a kind of plastic has compostable effect, it means that it can be biodegraded(final can be degraded into CO2, water and biomass) and disintegrated (it is no marked remain) in compostable system. At the same time, it is nontoxic.

Plastic bags which is made of compostable plastic-compostable bags, only can be degraded in industrial compotable factory.

The only difference between biodegradable and compostable plastic is that the former can be ate by bacteria, the latter need to be deal with again. Of course not, because biodegradable plastic bags is same to need to make degradation in machine. ACC says that no matter biodegradable materials or compostable materials, they both need to use compostable machine to degrade. Most people do not know this point.