Compostable, biodegradable, recyclable: three different claims
Biodegradable says a material will eventually break down but commits to no timeframe or condition — most plastics are technically biodegradable. Compostable means converting to compost within a defined time, under defined conditions, leaving no toxic residue, and it can be measured against a standard. Recyclable means becoming raw material again.
The three side by side
Why 'biodegradable' says nothing
The word carries no time limit. A material that breaks down over five hundred years is technically biodegradable. Regulators in the EU have been narrowing its use for exactly this reason: unless the claim is tied to a measurable standard, it reads as greenwashing.
What compostable assumes
Most certificates assume an industrial facility: roughly 58 °C, controlled moisture, regular aeration. If your municipality has no such facility, the product goes to landfill and the advantage disappears. The claim therefore describes the product and the infrastructure together, not the product alone.
Why recycling is a separate stream
A compostable item mixed into paper recycling can reduce the quality of the bale. The two cannot share a bin, and switching to compostable products without setting up separate collection does not deliver the benefit the switch was made for.
Unregulated words
'Eco', 'green', 'environmentally friendly' and 'nature friendly' have no legal definition. A technical sheet that leans on these words is not a substitute for a certificate in a procurement file.
Frequently asked
- What about oxo-biodegradable?
- It described plastics with an additive that accelerates fragmentation. The EU single-use plastics directive banned them: the material breaks apart but becomes microplastic rather than biomass.
- Can one product be both compostable and recyclable?
- Technically yes, but waste can only enter one stream at a time. The claim is only meaningful in the direction your site actually collects.
Last updated: 2026-09-13