Comparison Between Compostable Plastic Products and Bamboo Products
In a world where traditional plastic is building up and clogging oceans, impacting wildlife, and adding to greenhouse gases, a need has arisen for a different approach. In response, compostable plastic products were created. What are these plastics and how do they differ from traditional plastic? How do they compare to bamboo products? This article will discuss these topics.
What is Compostable Plastic?
Compostable plastics are a relatively new form of plastic in the world. The reason they're called compostable is that they become biodegradable after composting. These plastics are made up of raw materials that are renewable. Some of the ingredients may be starch, soy protein, cellulose, or lactic acid.
During the production of compostable plastic, no hazardous waste or toxins are produced. After the plastic product has been used and thrown into a compost heap, they slowly degrade into biomass, water, and carbon dioxide.
There are also some compostable products that are made of materials from petroleum or bacteria. However, the most popular ingredient is starch either from corn or potatoes.
Since they're made of raw materials that can return safely to the environment, each product has its own heat resistance, oxygen barrier, impact resistance, and temperature at which it can be composted. Yet all of them can be used as one would normally use plastic jars and bowls.
When composting the plastics, it's important that they're given to a commercial composting facility for the best results. Those facilities are able to compost products at high temperatures that make the composting process last between 90-180 days.
This is a stark difference from traditional plastic which could take several years--if not decades--to fully break down. Another big difference is that compostable plastics don't leave toxins behind. The soil and mass that the compostable plastics leave behind are capable of supporting plant growth. Traditional plastic, on the other hand, typically leave behind harmful toxins that can impact the local and global environment.
What are Bamboo Products?
Bamboo accessories and products, on the other hand, are made strictly from bamboo. You can find products like bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo airbrushed, even bamboo building materials. How do these compare to compostable plastic products?
Bamboo is a biodegradable product. This is different than compostable because compostable means that the product can slowly decay into raw materials at a faster time than biodegradable. It also means that the raw material left behind doesn't emit any toxins. Some biodegradable products do, although bamboo is not one of them.
What makes bamboo an incredible product is that it's renewable and natural. It even has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. That makes it great for products like toothbrushes when the product is constantly being introduced to bacteria. When using a bamboo toothbrush and organic toothpaste and an organic mouthwash, you stand a greater chance of having incredible oral health.
In regards to traditional plastic, bamboo is the clear winner. It's technically a grass and actually grows like a weed. It's super fast to grow and easy to replant after harvesting. It also doesn't require fertilizers or pesticides to grow, which makes it incredibly safer than some of the products used in compostable plastics. Those plastics will require the use of fertilizer and pesticides to keep the crops safe in order to harvest them.
Bamboo also produces 35% more oxygen than similar plants. It also requires little water to grow. At lucky teeth, we go a step further and make sure the bamboo used in the making of our products does not affect the living or destroys panda habitat.
Choose a Healthier Alternative
If you want to do your part in keeping the world protected, then choose glass jars, bamboo products, and compostable plastic products. From pet bowls to toothbrushes, you can do your part in protecting the environment.
