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WebstaurantStore / Food Service Resources / Blog

Choosing the Best Eco-Friendly Products for Your Zero Waste Kitchen

One of the fastest growing foodservice trends is switching from traditional disposables and foodservice
products to eco-friendly options. But, when searching for eco-friendly products for your restaurant, you
may come across the terms "biodegradable," "degradable," and "compostable." We will explain the
differences between biodegradable, compostable, and degradable products, as well as how your
restaurant can go zero waste with eco-friendly disposables.

Biodegradable, Compostable, and Degradable: What's the Difference?

Biodegradable, compostable, and degradable products are made from different materials and
deteriorate under varying circumstances. We'll break down each type of eco-friendly product to help
you make an informed decision when buying eco-friendly disposables for your business.

What Does Biodegradable Mean?

Biodegradable refers to a product breaking down into natural elements, carbon dioxide, and water
vapor by organisms like bacteria and fungi. Technically, just about everything is biodegradable, although
it will take hundreds of thousands of years for most things to biodegrade. Here are some benefits of
biodegradable products:

Biodegradable products break down much faster than other types of products.

These types of products break down into carbon dioxide, water vapor, and organic material, which isn't
harmful to the environment.

Typically, these products are made from sustainable materials and plant by-products, such as corn
starch or sugarcane.

Why Biodegradable Products Shouldn't Go to Landfills

While biodegradable products are generally an eco-friendly option for restaurants, there are some
downsides as well. When biodegradable products are dumped into landfills, which happens when
they're thrown into the trash, they often become buried. Beneficial bacteria cannot survive buried
underneath that trash because there is very little oxygen.

As a result, the biodegradable products break down anaerobically, meaning without oxygen, which
creates methane, a greenhouse gas that is bad for the environment. Some landfills collect methane that
is produced in their landfills and use it to create electricity, but most do not.

How to Dispose of Biodegradable Products

Because biodegradable products in landfills can create harmful methane, it is better to dispose of them
in a commercial compost heap or to send them to a recycling plant. You can also check if there is a
biogas plant in your area, which uses biodegradable products to create methane which they then use to
generate electricity.

What Is Compostable?

Compostable means that a product will break down into natural elements, but only in a compost setting.
Compostable materials are typically made from plants and other organic materials, such as corn starch,
bagasse, or PLA plastic. Compostable products have two added benefits over biodegradable options:
they break down much faster, many in roughly 90 days, and they also break down into nutrient-rich
products, which generates healthy soil for the planet.

How to Dispose of Compostable Products

For compostable products to break down correctly, they need to be thrown away in a compost heap.
Compost heaps are rich in microorganisms and reach high temperatures, which allow products to break
down quickly. These types of products do not break down easily in traditional landfills, so compostable
products should not be thrown in the trash. Additionally, many types of compostable products mimic
the look of plastic, but they should not be recycled.

Why You Shouldn't Recycle Compostable Products

Compostable products are not recyclable, and if a compostable item gets into the recycling process, it
will contaminate and ruin the rest of the batch. As a result, if you're using compostable products at your
fast food establishment or food truck, you should alert your customers so they can dispose of the
products properly.

What Does Degradable Mean?

plastic bottles and aluminum cans in recycle bins

Degradable products are mostly oil-based and they break down through chemical reactions rather than
organically by microorganisms. Unlike biodegradable products, degradable plastic items can break down
in anaerobic environments like landfills.

Additionally, degradable products do not break down completely and turn into organic material. Instead
they break apart into microscopic pieces which can still affect the environment. For example, some
plastic can degrade and turn into small pieces, which animals ingest, causing major issues in the food
chain. Additionally, it typically takes much longer for products to degrade than it does to take
biodegradable or compostable items to break down.

What Is Zero Waste?

Zero waste is a philosophy that aims to follow sustainable natural cycles where all discarded materials
are used for other purposes, resulting in no trash going to landfills or incinerators. The goal of zero
waste is not to send products to recycling plants and compost heaps instead of landfills, but instead to
use all of the product so no waste is generated entirely. While many people across the country are
choosing a zero waste lifestyle at home, you can also implement some tactics in your restaurant to lead
to a zero waste kitchen.

How to Go Zero Waste

The first step into going zero waste in your kitchen is to determine how much food you're wasting and
how much trash you're producing. From there, you can decide where to make adjustments. One of the
best ways to calculate how much food you're wasting is to conduct a food waste audit.

To conduct a food waste audit, have your employees track the amount of food that is coming into your
restaurant and then how much is being thrown away. This can help you understand if you need to scale
back your shipments or adjust your menu accordingly. Another major source of waste in kitchens are
disposables like plastic cups, disposable plates, straws, napkins, and packaging.
Zero Waste Tips

If you're interested in making your restaurant into a zero waste kitchen, here are some helpful tips to
reduce waste and re-purpose products:

Find unique ways that you can use food scraps in your kitchen, such as using vegetable scraps and skins
to make vegetable broth.

Donate excess food to local farms to use as animal feed or to local food banks.

Use leftover meat and vegetables in soups and stews.

Swap out your disposable plates and bowls for melamine or china options.

Replace your paper napkins with reusable cloth versions.

Eliminate plastic straws.

Choose eco-friendly cleaning supplies and chemicals.

Take any remaining scraps or waste to commercial compost heaps rather than throwing it away.

While there are many similarities between biodegradable, compostable, and degradable items in terms
of construction and look, they are vastly different and have very different impacts on the environment. If
you're looking for disposables that can help you with transitioning your kitchen to zero waste,
compostable items are the perfect choice because they're sustainable, they turn into safe organic
material, and they break down quickly.

Posted in: Eco-Friendly Tips | By Richard Traylor

Related Resources

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Reducing your restaurant's overall energy consumption not only lowers your utility costs , it's also better
for the environment. Many food service professionals have been adopting energy conservation methods
for the past decade and have drastically cut their energy use and expenses. Here, we've outlined energy
conservation tips that will reduce your water and electricity use. 10 Energy Conservation Methods It can
be easier than you think to reduce energy consumption in your kitchen with our energy-saving methods!
Here are our top 10 tips for conserving energy in your business. Click any of the tips below to read the
section that interests you: Energy Efficient Equipment Equipment Maintenance Reduce Water
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Eco-Friendly Barn Wedding Ideas

Many engaged couples are searching for inventive new ways to make their dream wedding both do-it-
yourself and eco-friendly. Whether you're a caterer, own a wedding venue, or are planning your own
wedding, you're sure to have noticed the "going green" and "buy local" phenomenon is sweeping the
country. One way to combine DIY and going green is to plan an autumn wedding at a restored barn in
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What Do Plastic Recycling Symbols Mean?

Many foodservice businesses are interested in recycling the plastic bags and containers they use to
store, prepare, and keep their food fresh. However, it can be difficult to determine what can be recycled
and how to properly recycle these materials. Check out the infographic below to learn how plastic
recycling numbers and symbols can help you determine how to recycle your waste, potential risks of
each plastic, and what these products are recycled into. What Are the Seven Main Plastics? The seven
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seventh category is designated as “othe

Judah Press Says:

Can you carry more compostable items?

steve ziegler Says:

I will certainly pass this on to our buyers! They love to know what customers are looking for. Just so you
know, we carry compostable cups, straws, lids, trash bags and take out containers.

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difference.html