{"id":78,"date":"2018-07-02T15:45:46","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T15:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hydropac.co.uk\/?p=78"},"modified":"2025-03-31T11:47:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T11:47:59","slug":"biodegradable-the-attractive-word-for-landfill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hydropac.co.uk\/eco-friendly\/biodegradable-the-attractive-word-for-landfill\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBiodegradable\u201d \u2013 the Attractive Word for \u201cLandfill\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

With more and more companies rolling out either \u2018less plastic\u2019 or \u2018no plastic\u2019 products, \u201crecycling\u201d continues to be the new buzzword, both in the UK and further afield. It has been hard for some companies to shift their product range to be more environmentally friendly and we\u2019ve seen the word \u201cbiodegradable\u201d popping up a lot of late! It sounds good, but it is really just a better way of saying \u201cstill goes to landfill\u201d.<\/p>\n

Products that are biodegradable are obviously better than products that aren\u2019t, but they are not recyclable. It\u2019s important to make that distinction, as some products labelled as biodegradable can still take up to 500 years to fully break down, and still end up in landfill as opposed to being recycled into something else! Take plastic nappies or wipes for example \u2013 we all know they make up a huge part of our landfill problem, so big brands such as Huggies have made the biodegradability of their products clear on their website \u2013 however, that doesn\u2019t mean they will degrade any quicker than brands who haven\u2019t, and nor are they are more recyclable.<\/p>\n

Obviously, there\u2019s always going to be products that do not break down or cannot be recycled (such as most mobile phone batteries, and you wouldn\u2019t want to be without that), although this will decrease over time as new, innovative solutions and materials are found. Continuing on the nappy front, brands such as Mothercare and Sainsburys have also invested in eco-friendly disposable nappies and inserts for reusable nappies, which not only gives them an environmentally friendly edge of competing brands but also goes a little way to reducing our landfill burden for the future.<\/p>\n

Latest Landfill Stats<\/strong><\/p>\n

The latest UK statistics<\/a> on waste from February 2018 (released y the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) show that the amount of UK biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill in 2016 was similar to the figure released from 2015 \u2013 approx. 7.7 million tonnes per year. Figures from 2017 are still to be released later this month and we\u2019ll update this blog accordingly when we can. Whilst there has been a clear and significant decrease in the amount of BMW sent to landfill in recent years \u2013 this figure totalled 25 million tonnes in 2010 \u2013 it will be important for companies to keep evolving and pushing their innovation as we move forward, especially with this figure plateauing in recent years.<\/p>\n

Hydropac Ethos<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are passionate about reducing waste and sending less to landfill; to that end, our products are long lasting and will stand the test of time!<\/p>\n