The difference between Biodegradable and Compostable

Now-a-days…we live in, what I call, “The Green Age.” More and more people are jumping on the “green” wagon and are trying to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint. These new green-newbie’s are transitioning and unless you’re a “green-a-holic”, you may not be familiar with a lot of the “green”-words. Here at Swipes Lovin Wipes, we stand by our claims, two terms of which cause a little confusion at times! So today we’re going to break down the difference between—Biodegradable and Compostable.

Biodegradable

Let’s start off with a pretty common word…Biodegradable. Some of us learned that word in High School…well at least that’s the first time I remember hearing it. My definition of “biodegradable” was anything that is natural enough to easily degrade and become one with the earth again (without causing any issues). I’m sure I’m close but let’s look at the actual definition. According to dictionary.com, Biodegradable means:

           

            Capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacteria.

Many items are biodegradable but that doesn’t make it good for the environment. Biodegradation can happen over a period of days or hundreds of years—and that makes the difference between what is “good” or “bad” for the environment.  The more natural the item is the faster it will biodegrade. Essentially biodegradable products should break down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass in a reasonable amount of time. For example an apple core will never biodegrade in a landfill but take 2 weeks in a backyard compost, a matter of days in a industrial composter, and 8 weeks in a ocean. Regular plastic cups will never biodegrade in a landfill, there’s an unknown amount of time on how long it would take in backyard compost or in an industrial composter. But we do know, plastic is very hard to breakdown, so much so, that once it’s in the ocean it goes through photodegradation (breaking down plastic into smaller pieces) and turns into a trash island for about 450 years! Now that’s a big difference!

 Compostable

Compostable products are just like biodegradable products but better! When broken down, rich nutrients are released into the soil called humus, making Compostable products some of the best for the environment. The usual breakdown time for a compostable product is one to four months. These products should be able to become usable compost in a timely manner through an appropriate composting program or facility, or in a home compost pile or device. This compost can then be used for gardening and planting! No harsh chemicals or pesticides to worry about! 

Swipes Lovin Wipes

 Swipes is proud to be both biodegradable and Compostable! Whether you flush our truly flushable wipes down the toilet or compost us in some dirt...will degrade naturally becoming one with the planet!

Check out our site to see our Eco-effects!

Special Thanks to the Chic Ecologist who helped me shed light on the effects of plastic!

 

Until next time...Peace, Lovin, Swipes!

The difference between Biodegradable and Compostable

Now-a-days…we live in, what I call, “The Green Age.” More and more people are jumping on the “green” wagon and are trying to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint. These new green-newbie’s are transitioning and unless you’re a “green-a-holic”, you may not be familiar with a lot of the “green”-words. Here at Swipes Lovin Wipes, we stand by our claims, two terms of which cause a little confusion at times! So today we’re going to break down the difference between—Biodegradable and Compostable.

Biodegradable

Let’s start off with a pretty common word…Biodegradable. Some of us learned that word in High School…well at least that’s the first time I remember hearing it. My definition of “biodegradable” was anything that is natural enough to easily degrade and become one with the earth again (without causing any issues). I’m sure I’m close but let’s look at the actual definition. According to dictionary.com, Biodegradable means:

           

            Capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacteria.

Many items are biodegradable but that doesn’t make it good for the environment. Biodegradation can happen over a period of days or hundreds of years—and that makes the difference between what is “good” or “bad” for the environment.  The more natural the item is the faster it will biodegrade. Essentially biodegradable products should break down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass in a reasonable amount of time. For example an apple core will never biodegrade in a landfill but take 2 weeks in a backyard compost, a matter of days in a industrial composter, and 8 weeks in a ocean. Regular plastic cups will never biodegrade in a landfill, there’s an unknown amount of time on how long it would take in backyard compost or in an industrial composter. But we do know, plastic is very hard to breakdown, so much so, that once it’s in the ocean it goes through photodegradation (breaking down plastic into smaller pieces) and turns into a trash island for about 450 years! Now that’s a big difference!

 Compostable

Compostable products are just like biodegradable products but better! When broken down, rich nutrients are released into the soil called humus, making Compostable products some of the best for the environment. The usual breakdown time for a compostable product is one to four months. These products should be able to become usable compost in a timely manner through an appropriate composting program or facility, or in a home compost pile or device. This compost can then be used for gardening and planting! No harsh chemicals or pesticides to worry about! 

Swipes Lovin Wipes

 Swipes is proud to be both biodegradable and Compostable! Whether you flush our truly flushable wipes down the toilet or compost us in some dirt...will degrade naturally becoming one with the planet!

Check out our site to see our Eco-effects!

Special Thanks to the Chic Ecologist who helped me shed light on the effects of plastic!

 

Until next time...Peace, Lovin, Swipes!

How Santa's flying reindeer relate to psychotropic mushrooms and so much more from Spring Warren's memoir Quarter-Acre Farm

I'm so taken with Spring Warren's memoir The Quarter-Acre Farm: How I Kept the Patio, Lost the Lawn, and Fed My Family for a Year, just out from Seal Press, with gorgeous illustrations by Jesse "Nemo" Pruet. You can find out more about her gardening experiment on her blog Quarter-Acre Farm.

One thing I love about the book is that I have no intention of ever growing anything; I just don't see how I could in Brooklyn and even if I lived in somewhere less urban, I barely cook as it is. That's where I want to start (especially with Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new vegan cookbook Appetite for Reduction). But I'm enjoying Quarter-Acre Farm for the same reason I enjoy any memoir: it's teaching me something. And is whipsmart and funny too. Warren has a sense of humor and isn't trying to sell anyone else, necessarily, on doing what she did. She's sharing the ups, downs and odds and ends of growing her own food for a year, and how her family, friends, neighbors and animals (geese!) reacted.



Here's a little bit of trivia for you from Quarter-Acre Farm. If you want some great recipes and an entertaining look at how one woman went about setting up a home garden in Davis, California, I highly recommend it.

For instance, psychotropic mushrooms are said to be the source of the myth of Santa's flying reindeer. Lapland reindeer apparently love Amanita muscaria mushroom, which are not only hallucinogenic but they also supposedly stimulate the animal's muscular system. This made small efforts on the part of the reindeer produce surprising results--enormous reindeer leaps. These leaps then led to stories of flying reindeer, which were eventually assimilated into the folklore of St. Nicholas.

I mean, come on, how can you not love that? Followed by a recipe for mushroom soup! Her writing style is sometimes humorous, but mostly I'd say lively. It's engaging and makes you want to garden if it would provide so much sense of discovery about the world around us and what we eat (and some sobering thoughts on pesticides).

Also, not about gardening, but I'd never heard of cranberry beans before I started reading this book, and there they were in the Brunch Beans stew at my local standby, Saltie, making them my new favorite dish there. Highly recommended! I totally ate the bread first, though next time I'd recommend saving one or two pieces to sop up the stew. So hearty and perfect for a rainy day.