Glossary

Defining Compostables

We use the phrase ‘truly compostable’ because the adjective ‘compostable’ has been defined rather generously by companies and regulators to include products that can be composted using specialist high temperature processing machines. Technically, yes, that is still composting, but you can’t do it in your garden.

An item that fully biodegrades, returning to water, carbon and biomass within a certain timeframe.
An item can be composted under industrial conditions, in a large scale facility with regulated conditions at temperatures of 50-70° celsius, within 6 months. An item may be industrially compostable but not home compostable. Currently for an item to be verified as Industrial Compostable it must be certified to EN 13432.

However this standard allows that after 12 weeks 10% of the material can still remain in fragments (micro plastics) larger than 2mm and ignores any fragments (micro plastics) smaller than 2mm.
Also sometimes referred to as Domestic Compostable, is an item that can be composted in a regular compost bin at ambient temperatures of 20-30° celsius within 12 months. There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for home composting of biodegradable plastic products, but there are national standards such as the Australian AS 5810 and French NFT 51-800.
However both of these standards allow that after 26 weeks 10% of the material can still remain in fragments (micro plastics) larger than 2mm and ignores any fragments (micro plastics) smaller than 2mm.
An item that is home compostable will also be industrially compostable, but not vice versa.
An item that is fully compostable with no special industrial processes required and that will disintegrate if it ends up in landfill, with food waste or simply buried in your garden without any persistent microplastics or toxicity and will actually enhance the soil creating good quality fertiliser.
There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for truly composting of biodegradable plastic products, but there is an increasing awareness of the necessity to set and communicate such standard.

Anaerobic digestion is a process through which bacteria break down organic matter, in the absence of oxygen.
Industrial composting often uses this process to produce biogas and digestate.
Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by naturally occurring microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae and fungi.
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value.
An economy in which resources are extracted to make products that are used and then thrown away. A linear economy usually does not fulfil materials to their full potential and follows a model of 'take-make-waste'.
Microplastics are solid plastic particles, measuring less than 5 mm (0.20 in) in length.
Microplastics can be unintentionally formed when larger pieces of plastic degrade. Incorrect disposal and littering of plastic produces microplastics into the environment, car tyres produce microplastics through use, and synthetic textiles such as polyester and viscose shed microplastics through wear and laundry. Microplastics are also deliberately manufactured and added to products for specific purposes, such as exfoliating beads in facial scrubs and toothpastes.
More than 99% of the chemicals used to make plastics are made derived from fossil fuel production.
The traditional plastics that have become widespread, such as polyethylene (PET, LDPE and HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are made from petrochemicals, which are chemical compounds that are created during the refining process of crude oil.
Oil-based and fossil fuel based plastic refers to plastics made in this way. However some modern biobased plastics may use plant based oils, such as rapeseed or sunflower.
Plastics are a group of materials, either synthetic or naturally occurring, that can be moulded into shape when soft and then hardened to retain the given shape.
Early examples of plastic include ivory and tortoiseshell, the first synthetic polymer was invented in 1869 by treating cellulose with camphor. The first fully synthetic plastic was invented in 1907, and kickstarted the production of plastics derived from fossil fuels and petrochemicals.
Modern innovations have led to the development of bioplastics, which are made from plant sources rather than fossil fuels. Solinatra is a bioplastic that contains no petrochemicals.
Recycling is the process of converting goods into new materials and objects.
Recyclability is the ease with which a material can be recycled in practice and at scale.
Composting is sometimes referred to as organic recycling.
Materials that are continually replenished at a rate equal to or greater than the rate of depletion.
Examples include: cotton, hemp, maize, agricultural by-products, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and sea salt.
Upcycling is the process of transforming waste into new materials or products of greater quality or value.
Upcycling is the opposite of downcycling, meaning a process that converts waste into goods of lesser quality or value.