Biodegradable or non-biodegradable

In our country, "Biodegradable" is always a positive / good word in environmental related issues. People tend to think and perceive that biodegradable materials are good for the environment.

But is biodegradable stuffs really "good" to the environment?

This is a complex issue, yet I will share my opinions here.

First, if we look at the materials we used. In the ancient, the materials used are typically of metals, wood, soil and perhaps glass, ceramic, etc... Most of the materials used or constructed could lasted a long time (many ancient buildings exist until now and many items / artifacts exist until now).

Then human found oil (petroleum), and subsequently invented plastic materials. This new-found material has bring a lots of benefits to human development. Besides, we had created a lots more new materials since the last century.

Let's talk about plastic, a so-called non-biodegradable material. Is plastic a "bad" material in the context of environment?

No, definitely. Plastic is light, inert, water-resistant, cheap, requires less resource and energy to produce, easier to recycled, etc. Here are some facts:

Resource and energy

ENERGY TO PRODUCE BAG ORIGINALLY (BTUs)
Safeway Plastic Bags: 594 BTUs
Safeway Paper Bags: 2511 BTUs
(Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.)

Pollution

POLLUTANTS PAPER V.S. PLASTIC
Paper sacks generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.
Source: "Comparison of the Effects on the Environment of Polyethylene and Paper Carrier Bags," Federal Office of the Environment, August 1988

Recycling

ENERGY TO RECYCLE PACKAGE ONCE (BTUs)
Safeway Plastic Bags: 17 BTUs
Safeway Paper Bags: 1444 BTUs
Source: 1989 Plastic Recycling Directory, Society of Plastics Industry.

Please refers the following links. Thanks.

http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=7

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18538484/


Well, I am not here to promote the use of plastic. However, plastic is definitely a better material if compared with paper (which the tree has to chopped down to produce paper). If we compare the "recyclability" of both materials, they are of "open-loop, down recycling"; which means these materials can't be recycled to become the same material/product like 'aluminum tin', or the quality of the recycled material will be lowered and subsequently will reach a point where it can't be recycled anymore.

When we produce paper, tree as the most important carbon sink, have to be used as the raw material. Besides, the production of paper requires huge amount of water and churn out huge amount of wastewater and consequently causes pollution.

However, plastic is currently having a bad reputation in term of environmental perception of most people. This is primarily because of the "Disposal" or management of the use of plastic.

For example, littering, illegal dumping to land or water bodies; etc. However, this has to be the problem of human knowledge and awareness of the importance of the proper disposal of plastic. And not merely by impose laws on the banning of the use of plastic bags, etc.


While for the biodegradable waste; which mostly refers to food waste, yard waste, paper, cardboard, wood, rubber, textile, leather, etc...

Let's talk about food waste... to be cont'd