How to Recycle Compostable Packaging

Concerns over inefficient waste management have sparked a so-called eco-awakening, with consumers urging businesses to find a solution to reducing the amount of non-sustainable packaging that ends up in landfill.

There’s no doubt that compostable packaging will play an integral role in creating a truly circular economy. After all, compostable solutions ensure that packaging materials can be returned safely to earth, ‘closing the loop’.

Having said that, improper disposal of compostable packaging could potentially have the same irreparable impact on the environment as non-sustainable solutions. That’s why it’s important to know how to responsibly dispose of compostable packaging in order to reap the benefits.

Read on to learn how to recycle compostable packaging.

Firstly, to understand how to recycle compostable packaging, it’s important to note that any packaging labelled as compostable should not be put in the recycling bin. Compostable packaging does not belong in recycling at all, for that matter.

Whilst most plastic waste can be thrown into recycling, compostable plastics will not be accepted in curbside recycling collections. This is because compostable packaging could potentially contaminate materials that would otherwise be good for recycling.

But the question remains, what to do with compostable packaging? As compostable packaging is designed to be broken down in a different way than recyclable packaging, it should be disposed of through composting. Plus, the good thing about compostable packaging that uses water-based inks is that they decompose fully too. This helps to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill, as well as methane and nitrous oxide emissions. At Tyler Packaging we only use water-based solutions as we want to contribute to driving the switch to more sustainable solutions.

Composting is simple and is a totally effective way to dispose of waste and protect the environment. You just need to make sure you provide an optimal environment for micro-organisms to thrive and break down the materials.

Industrial composting is a controlled process. It is designed to deal with large-scale compostable waste and items that would otherwise take a pretty long time to decompose in a regular compost bin.

In an industrial composting plant, the conditions are carefully managed and controlled. This is to ensure that compostable packaging into materials that can be safely used in agriculture, either as soil or plant fertiliser. This includes the temperature, water, oxygen and carbon-nitrogen level and allows micro-organisms to make quick work of compost piles.

Remember, composting doesn’t just happen overnight. Depending on the composting conditions and the contents of the heap, it can take 12 weeks for compostable packaging to break down. Once it’s ready, the contents will be disposed of in soil to enrich it with nutrients.

You’re probably also wondering whether you can put compostable packaging in food waste. Generally, packaging will need to bear the EN 13432L2000 seeding logo to go into your food waste bin.

However, not all local councils will accept compostable packaging in food waste. Certain materials do not break down at the same rate as food and garden waste. So, it’s always best to get in touch with your local council first before putting compostable packaging into your food waste bin.

Sustainable packaging is no longer a nice extra. Today, consumers want to do their part in protecting the planet. They expect businesses to make the switch to greener packaging solutions. Research shows that 83% of consumers check on-packaging structures to make sure they are disposing of packaging correctly.

At Tyler Packaging, we provide businesses across multiple industries with compostable solutions designed to suit their needs and provide the right protection for the products inside.

We hope we’ve provided some clarity on how to recycle compostable packaging (or should we say why you shouldn’t recycle compostable packaging and how to dispose of it properly?). Want to learn more about compostable packaging? Head to our news section to get the latest news on compostable packaging.

So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch or order a sample pack today and see why we are specialists when it comes to compostable packaging.