The Benefits of Biodegradable Material and Products

Products made from petroleum-based material have an adverse affect on the planet because of oil drilling and the pollution along with greenhouse gas emissions created by their manufacturing process. It is estimated that biodegradable products produce approximately 68% less greenhouse gases than petroleum-based plastic products. Still worse is the occasional disaster such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that will have an negative effect on the environment for years to come. Further, if discarded improperly these plastics can also pose a threat to wildlife and marine life. Biodegradable material is made from renewable sources which minimize these effects. They break down faster and are absorbed back into the earth as basic elements.

Biodegradables are made from organic material such as plant and animal matter that has the ability to regenerate itself and that can be produced again and again. This cycle of using organic material in products that can later break down and return to the earth only to be harvested again make them a renewable resource. These resources include plant materials such as corn, sugarcane, wheat, potatoes, reed, leaves and bamboo, just to name a few. In fact, they may even include animal fats, meats and other tissues.

Many non-biodegradable products are produced with petroleum-based materials which are highly toxic. When exposed to the elements for extended periods of time these toxins can be released causing harm to the environment. Biodegradables are produced with all natural material which breaks down harmlessly never threatening the well-being of the local inhabitants.

Because biodegradables readily decompose into basic organic materials they can be composted in commercial composting facilities thereby reducing large quantities of waste materials in landfills. This also increases community recycling efforts.

The majority of the oil that is needed to produce standard plastic comes from foreign countries. With national concerns of energy conservation and foreign exchange policies using material made from renewable resources offers an alternative for reducing this need. Utilization of biomass grown in the United States is one step towards developing a domestic solution to reducing our foreign petroleum dependency.

Nowadays a tremendous amount of attention is focused on the "green" movement and the need to be environmentally conscious. Many people are restricting their purchases of household products, groceries and even fast foods only to those that utilize biodegradable packaging material. Restaurant owners and retailers could benefit by tapping this environmentally conscious market if they were to advertise their use of biodegradable products.