Monday, June 4, 2012

Using Compostable products to put a dent in landfills


Everyone hears the statistics about landfills, but sometimes they seem like an unsurmountable problem. We blogged about compost on friday, however the use of compostable products is another great solution. Landfills worldwide are expected to reach capacity by 2030. Compostable products will help relieve landfills of tons of waste a year(literally).  Sometimes it's hard to know the benefits of compostable products, so here are 8 things to know about compostable products.

1) It requires less energy to produce compostable products that it does non-compostable products. They actually require under half of the amount of energy that plastic does, which means you can create twice as many materials for the same amount of energy.

2) Compostable products saves on oil for production. This means that compostable products can be created domestically and require about 65% less dependency on oil.

3) Compostable products are surprisingly resilient. Generally they can stand temperatures between 120-200 degrees, meaning you don't have to worry about your hot coffee melting your cup. You can microwave them or you can freeze them, just like any non-compostable product.

4) Compostable products can be composted. We already talked about the many advantages of using compost in your garden last week. Compostable products can be reused in compost and help you fertilize your plants once you're done using them (after going through a composting process).

5) The toxins found in plastic aren't present in compostable products. This leads to a harmless breakdown and absorption, which means safe soil and water. Where it can take plastics hundreds of years to decompose, a compostable product can easily decompose in weeks or months.

6) The materials to make compostable materials are renewable. Rather than using non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, compostable products are made of natural substances that can be replanted and grown again for use. 

7) These products show your organizations/event's commitment to the environment. Let's face it, being green is pretty important in today's economy. It's not just a small faction of people, but a majority who are aiming to live more sustainable lives. This means that businesses and groups using compostable products show their customers their dedication to the environment. 

8) Availability is also key. When reading all these points it's easy to think, "Wow, well if there are really that great, they must be hard to get or else everyone would be using them." However, they're available worldwide in any quantity you could want. 

If you want to start using compostables in your home or business, be sure to check out GreenRU for compostable products.

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