What Does Biodegradable Mean? 

Biodegradation happens when materials are decomposed by naturally occurring moisture, micro-organisms (such as bacteria and fungi) and mini beasts like snails, worms and slugs. Some materials biodegrade much quicker than others - wool for example takes around a year whereas a paper bag will break down in around five weeks.

How About Composting?

Like biodegradation, composting breaks materials down with the help of naturally occurring organisms. The composting environment is a natural one (in so far as no chemicals are used) but it is designed to host a much higher level of organisms to work through the matter placed within it.

So Biodegradable & Compostable Mean the Same Thing?

The processes are very similar. They both refer to the organic (natural) decomposition of materials down into their base components (proteins, fats and other nutrients) and neither process requires the addition of chemicals. However, the composting environment is man-made, it requires regular turning and - in some cases - the addition of heat and moisture. Whereas biodegradation is Mother Nature running her course without adding anything into the mix or accelerating the process in some way. Composting is a much faster process too whereas biodegradation does not have a specific timeframe.

Why Don't You Say Your Packaging is 'Biodegradable?' Anymore?

We introduced new wording relating to our products - including the disposal method printed on each pack - from 2019 onwards as part of an industry-wide effort to tackle green washing and reduce consumer confusion around 'green-claims'. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have been leading the way, “regulating environmental claims in ads for decades to ensure consumers are not misled” and have published extensive research on people's understanding of terms like 'recyclable', 'biodegradable' and 'compostable' (you can view their most recent research on green disposal claims here). 

The trouble with 'biodegradable' is, most things 'biodegrade'... eventually. This includes plastics - they just take a really, really long time to do so. The definition of ‘biodegradable’ does not include a set time frame for decomposition, likewise, the presence of toxins once a material or materials have broken down is also not specified. So ‘biodegradable’ is a very woolly term that’s open to interpretation and therefore misuse. 

What's The Difference Between Home and Industrial Composting? 

The main difference is temperature with heat being purposely introduced into an industrial composting environment to speed up the process and help kill off harmful bacteria. This said, you can also set up a 'hot' compost at home and even a 'cold' compost gives off a little heat from all the energy being produced by the organisms inside.

Can't We Simply Leave Natural Materials to Breakdown in Landfill?

Natural materials struggle to decompose in landfill sites because there is very little moisture or soil present. This means that the microorganisms needed for breaking materials down are very thin on (or, to be more precise, under) the ground. What’s more, because waste is so tightly compacted at landfill sites, oxygen levels (needed by the micro-organisms to survive and work their magic) are also very low.

How Can I Dispose of My Compostable Packaging?

The UK’s infrastructure for the industrial composting of packaging and food waste is very limited at present. Most facilities will not accept mixed waste due to the risk of contamination from non-compostable packaging products. Contaminated stock has no commercial value so waste service operators run the risk of investing resources into the recycling of materials only to be left with worthless landfill-bound waste. For this reason, we recommend two alternative solutions for disposal:

Home Composting

Our following packaging products have been certified as home compostable, this means they will break down - along with kitchen and garden waste - in a domestic composting environment: aqueous cups and pots, paper cup and pot lids, natural platter boxes and inserts, Street boxes and Street tray.

Our snack cubes, sandwich and salad packs all utilise a certified home compostable film which is used as a liner and to form the windows. They are also made of (card) board, ink and glue. Our partner PRM put all of our products through one of their bio processors with food waste and had the substrate tested by a lab who found no traces of toxic materials. However, we are unable to say that these products are home compostable until they have been tested by an official certification board.

PRM Waste Solutions

Our partner PRM have developed a range of bio waste disposal units that break food and compostable packaging down into a soil enricher for growing more crops or producing a supplementary biomass fuel. 

You can download our flyer about PRM’s waste units here.

Do Any of Your Products Contain Plastics?

Yes. All of our sandwich and snack bags either feature or are made entirely from a clear PLA window, some of our lids are also made from PLA. PLA (polylactic acid) is made from corn starch and classified as a bioplastic, the PLA we use is certified as industrially compostable. Meanwhile, our aqueous products also contain plastic in the aqueous (water-based) coating. This has also been certified as home and industrially compostable, and the pots may be also be recycled. The aqueous material cannot be separated from the rest of the paper cup as this messes with the recycling process making the end product (recycled paper) unusable.

What About Ocean Waste?

An estimated 10 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, causing significant damage to ecosystems far beyond those coming into direct contact with the plastic pollution. Our packaging is not designed for disposal in  the sea. Ocean environments do not offer the best conditions for breaking down waste and we do not encourage or support littering under any circumstances. Our products can pose a threat to sea life in both a whole or partial state and should be disposed of in a composting environment wherever possible.

Why Use Plant-Based Products?

Our packaging products are made from plant-based materials. We believe this makes them more sustainable than oil-based plastic equivalents because they use raw materials sourced from renewable managed plantations and forests.

For decades food packaging has been manufactured from petroleum based plastics that, unless recycled, remain in landfill for hundreds of years before eventually breaking down. Recycling plastic food packaging into new packaging and new products, requires specialist cleaning - not to mention all of the oil and oil-fueled process that go into making them in the first place. Each week the UK alone throws away 1.7billion pieces of plastic and in 2023 it was estimated that oil reserves would meet global demand for around 27 more years, meaning that traditional plastics are simply not a long term solution.

What About Recycling? Why Can't You Recycle Some Food Packaging?

Our Natural Medium Bags, chip cone, hot dog tray, napkins & dispenser, aquueous pots, Natural Platter Boxes + inserts, Street boxes and trays are suitable for recycling in the appropriate recycling streams.

Contamination from food can be problematic, however, as long as the food waste isn't stuck to the pack and can be brushed off, the card or paper can be recycled. So take a pizza box, for example, any cheese that's melted or baked into the box, would be an issue. Meanwhile the crumbs and discarded crusts can be tipped out and brushed away.

Why Are Your Aqueous Pots Recyclable But Not the Aqueous Cups?

Frustratingly, recycling facilities won't accept the cups as they are often used as 'desk bins' to collect other waste before being thrown away. If you're thinking, 'But they can be emptied?' or 'Surely pots get used as 'desk bins' too?!', we feel the same. 

How Can I Dispose of Planglow's Packaging Products?

• Over half (63%) of our packaging lines have recyclable, home and / or industrial certification. This means that they are suitable for the appropriate recycling stream, will break down in a home compost heap or may be industrially composted where facilitated (paid for collection services are offered in some parts of the country)
• Some are certified for disposal via more than one of these methods
• We are currently seeking certification for our remaining non-certified products
• All of our packaging is suitable for our closed-loop waste disposal solution

You'll find a table of all our products and how they can be disposed of at the end of this article.

How Do You Bleach Your Paper?

All of our paper mills use the Elemental Chlorine-Free (ECF) method or Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) techniques to bleach their paper and board. This prevents the formation of dioxins, dioxin like compounds and carcinogens during paper production.

Our cup white board is produced using the ECF process which avoids using chlorine gas in the bleaching process.

Our packaging is produced using the ECT process or (TCF) methods. TCF techniques use no form of chlorine compound at all during production.

Where Can I Find Further Information?  

If you've a question not covered above, simply drop us a line and we'll add to the post.

Please note that this article was updated in April 2024.