Biodegradation is nature's way of recycling wastes or breaking down organic matter into nutrients that can be used by other organisms. 'Degradation' means decay and the 'bio' prefix means that the decay is carried out by a huge assortment of bacteria, fungi, insects, worms and other organisms that eat dead material and recycle it into new forms.
All things biodegrade but the timeframes involved vary greatly. We tend to use this word when referring to packaging made from non plastic materials as plastic takes a very long time to biodegrade whereas bioplastics can biodegrade much faster when composted.
In nature, there is no waste because everything gets recycled. The waste products from one organism become the food for others, providing nutrients and energy while breaking down the waste organic matter. Some organic materials will break down much faster than others, but all will eventually decay.
By harnessing these natural forces of biodegradation, people can reduce waste and clean up some types of environmental contaminants. Through composting, we accelerate natural biodegradation and convert organic wastes to a valuable resource. To register for organics collection, head over to the Composting Service page.
Compostable packaging is made from entirely plant materials. This means it can be composted in either residential or commercial composters depending on the specific materials. When composted pacakging that's compostable becomes ready to use soil.
Biodegradable materials reduce carbon emissions to the environment. Since most of them are made from natural materials, such as paper and sugarcane fibre, there is minimal usage of plastic materials which the manufacturing process tends to emit poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
The paper cups are made in Taiwan. The factory produces 170 million cups per month and is the third largest cup producer outside the USA.
Yes! All of the paper cups on this website are commercially compostable. The bioplastic/PLA lids (small, large) are also commercially compostable and will completely biodegrade inside 120 days, inside commercial compost facilities. Organic waste collection services are now available through BioPak's various collection partners at this web page.
Yes, contrary to popular belief they are recyclable in most council collections in Australia. If you would like to recycle them, we recommend rinsing them to remove any food waste/contamination, flatten them and dispose of them in your curbside recycling bin.
Modern landfills are designed to entomb municipal garbage rather than allow it to biodegrade. When paper products are disposed of to landfill rather than recycled, they can take as long as 40 years to biodegrade and when they do, they release methane gas. Methane is not good news for the environment. It has a lifespan 21 times longer than carbon dioxide. Australian households, on average, throw away 330kg of paper each, per year. Together, by recycling and reusing paper products we can make a drastic difference to the space needed for landfill and the emissions generated.
Ideally, any paper product that is not too soiled by food or other material should be recycled. If the material is too contaminated, then commercial composting is the best solution. Commercial composting captures the value in the raw material and its emissions allowing some of the value of the material to be retained.
BioPak understand that some of their cups will end up in landfill rather than getting recycled or composted, so they have undertaken carbon offset measures to adequately balance these emissions.
- At Planet Friendly Packaging we help change business practices and environmental outcomes towards a more ethical and sustainable future by distributing the BioPak biodegradable and compostable range of packaging.
- Planet Friendly Packaging provides simple and cost effective solutions to a variety of business problems by helping our clients to do the right thing by the planet. All of the solutions are designed to help you and your business benefit from cost reduction, customer and market appreciation, as well as a healthier and happier workplace.
- Planet Friendly Packaging distributes a selectively chosen range of BioPak biodegradable and compostable food and beverage packaging to help everyday business owners reduce their costs and environmental impacts.
- We supply the BioPak range of compostable and eco-friendly packaging including; biodegradable coffee cups, compostable food containers, plates, bowls, boxes, clamshells, biodegradable napkins, bioplastic and compostable wooden cutlery, biodegradable straws and bags. The range is constantly being updated to better suit the needs of our valued customers. Click here to find out more about the product range.
- We now also offer a compost collection service for organic food and compostable packaging waste to divert those materials from land fill, reduce green house gas emissions and retain the value in the material to effectively close the loop and contribute to the circular economy. Click here to find out more or register for the organic waste collection service.
- At Planet Friendly Packaging we are committed to finding the right solution to fit your business, whether that be replacing a single product that your customers have indicated you should update or supplying eco-friendly alternative products for all of your compostable packaging and food and beverage service needs. Head to our blog for more information about what we're up to. Contact us now to start making your business more planet friendly.
- Together we can make a difference to minimise the environmental impacts of the hospitality industry.