Sustainable Products: Compost vs. Landfill

With so many choices, it can be challenging to find products and companies that align with your beliefs to protect our environment. This is one of the reasons we started Responsible Products. We are passionate about the environment and want to preserve it for family and friends. If you are considering using or are currently using our compostable and biodegradable products, we are grateful. This is such an important first step. You are already making a difference.

When you use compostable and biodegradable products, it is important to understand how to dispose of them properly. Typically, consumer disposal choices are a home compost pile, a commercial composting facility, or a landfill. Let’s explore each of these options and the benefits associate with them.

In the United States, more and more people are electing to create their own home compost pile. We think this is amazing as it offers a win-win outcome for humans and the environment. If you are considering building a personal compost pile, there are a number of details you need to consider before you begin. Location. Size. Compost Materials. Ability to Monitor. It’s also important note that the compost pile should maintain a temperature of 45°C and have regular exposure to moisture, air and sunlight. These are the key elements to ensure the biodegradation process occurs.

For individuals without access to a home compost, we would recommend using a local BPI-certified commercial composting facility. If you haven’t heard this term before, Biodegradable Products Institute or BPI® is an association that was established to provide testing, education and promotion of compostable products. These facilities are reputable and will follow the protocols for the products to properly break down.

“If you are using compostable or biodegradable food storage bags, we’d recommend putting them in a compost pile or dropping them off at a local BPI-certified commercial composting facility.”

If you have been throwing your compostable and biodegradable bags in the garbage bin, it’s likely that they are being taken to a landfill. If they are taken to a landfill, it will be challenging for these products to go through the natural biodegradation process. You might be wondering why. Well, the standard practice for landfills is to bury the waste and garbage they collect. Waste that has been buried has limited exposure to oxygen and sunlight, which is necessary for the biodegradation process to occur. As a result, the biodegradable products we intended to be eco-friendly are now, breaking down anaerobically (without oxygen) in a landfill, creating methane gas.

When possible, it’s best to dispose of your compostable and biodegradable products in a home compost or at a local BPI-certified commercial composting facility. Another good option would be to find a biogas plant in your area. Biogas plants use biodegradable products to create methane, which they then use to generate electricity. The more we do avoid filling landfills today, the happier our planet will be in the future.