Biodegradable or not?

[WrongWayApricot]

Can anyone tell me if it's better to buy biodegradable things instead of plastic things? I thought it would be because it uses less plastic and then when I tried to look it up I've read that if it ends up in landfill it won't biodegrade and to make it in the first place would have used more resources.

So things like bin liners, nappies, pads, disposable cutlery etc. Is it worse for me to buy a plastic bin bag or a biodegradable bin bag for the general rubbish? I bought some biodegradable bin bags and have used biodegradable sanitary items/nappies and wooden forks before. Was that not the right thing to do if I can't compost them myself?

I do understand it's better to buy things that are reusable, but if I need to buy disposable things that are likely to end up in a landfill should I buy plastic or 'biodegradable'?

[gsaoej]

Check what is done with your general rubbish. Ours is burnt (possibly for energy), not landfilled.

[SilverRingahBells]

Do the non-recyclable bins for your council actually go to landfill anyway? Ours is burnt for energy reclamatio (London).

[worriedatthemoment]

I was buying biodegradble then our council stArted burning waste so it seemed pointless

[WrongWayApricot]

Oh I never thought to check, it looks like my borough sends it to be burnt too. That means biodegradable has to be better than plastic if it's going to be burnt, right? Sorry for the silly questions.

[ItsDinah]

If your local council collects the biodegradable item as part of your food waste collection and then actually uses it to produce compost, it is worth buying that item. Some grocery bags are labelled as compostable but in fact some councils remove them before composting.

As to other waste,like nappies, you would need to find out what your council actually does with it. A lot will just wind up in general waste being incinerated or going to landfill. In landfill, a lot of biodegradables won't actually biodegrade as they're not exposed to the levels of sunlight,water and air needed. They may be worse environmentally than traditional plastics. So, I wouldn't buy biodegradable plastic bin liners for my general waste.

So far as I can see, the main reason for using biodegradable items at present is to encourage industry to find new processes and materials that truly will be environmentally friendly. If you want to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions, the best bet is simply to reduce the amount of products used. At the moment all plastics have a major environmental cost not least in the amount of oil needed to produce them,even if they are largely composed of plant products.

[CSJobseeker]

If you're trying to be eco friendly then single use disposable items should be avoided anyway, shouldn't they? Disposable cutlery is bad for the environment full stop. It's totally unnecessary, so it's a waste of resources whether it's wood or plastic.

[WrongWayApricot]

@CSJobseeker

If you're trying to be eco friendly then single use disposable items should be avoided anyway, shouldn't they? Disposable cutlery is bad for the environment full stop. It's totally unnecessary, so it's a waste of resources whether it's wood or plastic.

Yes, I do understand this, as I said in my OP. However, I don't know of a reusable bin bag. I don't think the binmen will empty it out and hand it back to me I also don't want to wait on the doorstep between 6am and 4pm to do so. My question is only; if ever faced with the choice being plastic or biodegradable, which should I choose?

[CSJobseeker]

Sorry- I only meant the disposable cutlery as you specifically mentioned it. Bin bags are obviously unavoidable.

[ItsDinah]

If you have wheelie bins, don't use bin bags. It's really frustrating because biodegradable can in some cases be worse than traditional plastic. EEC is banning some of them. All you can do is find out what your council actually does and then decide whether it's still worth buying biodegradable on the basis that it will encourage the industry to develop better materials and processes in future even if it does not help now.