What are Biodegradable and Recyclable Packaging Material?

With increasing awareness about the environment, more and more people are now switching to eco-friendly packaging materials. Consumers expect the brands to focus on biodegradable packaging materials so that they can also contribute towards a green environment. This is the reason why the packaging industry is now waking up to the needs of the customers and delving into eco-friendly packaging.

Packaging touches almost every part of our daily lives. From food to other daily-life items, the list of our packaging materials is an extensive one. Things like corrugated boxes, bubble wrap roll, etc. have started to emerge to meet our packaging needs, especially when we are moving out and using removal boxes. 

There are a plethora of biodegradable packaging materials available in the market. Here is a list of some of them.

Paper and Cardboard

Paper and cardboard are the most easily available packaging materials in the market. They are also biodegradable and can be reused and recycled. Several companies offer packaging using recycled paper. This shows that paper that is once recycled can be used again for packaging.

Corn Starch

Corn starch is generally used for packaging food items. This is because packaging made from corn starch is easily biodegradable. Corn starch packaging causes little or no harm to the environment and thus is suitable to pack item meant for takeaway. A packaging material made from starch plastic is one of the best biodegradable packaging materials.

Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap roll is one such thing that is widely used for packaging. Companies are finding new ways to make this packaging material eco-friendly. Use of biodegradable plastic for the manufacture of bubble wraps is changing the way we see traditional packaging. The advantages of using green bubble wraps is that they decompose within 12-24 months in a landfill and also provide a cushion to the items being packed.

Biodegradable Plastic

Biodegradable plastic forms a major part of the packaging industry. Their share in the packaging market is more than 60% as they are used in making plastic shopping bags, envelopes, disposable cutlery, etc. Biodegradable plastic is the best alternative to traditional plastics as they start decomposing once exposed to daylight. 

With these packaging materials in the market, a new kind of packaging revolution has begun to take place. You should look for the following things when deciding which biodegradable packaging material to be used. The pollutants released in the manufacturing of a certain material cannot be chosen as it releases toxins into the environment and is not responsible towards the environment. 

When you buy or use any recyclable packaging material, you need to be sure enough that you would be recycling that packaging material. If you know that you won’t be using that packaging material in future again, then you are contributing immense waste material to the environment.

Biodegradable packaging materials can be easily disposed of without any worries of increasing the amount of waste on earth. Once disposed, they decompose easily under normal environmental conditions.