Biodegradable vs Compostable: Which Is Better?
Here is a claim I would like retired: “which is better, biodegradable or compostable?” It is the wrong question, and it costs buyers money. When you buy packaging you are not buying an adjective. You are buying a disposal route. A material is only as good as the facility at the end of the bin, and if that facility does not exist in your market, the word on the lid is decoration.
The useful question is narrower: given where my cartons will actually end up, which material closes the loop and which one just makes everybody feel better?
What each word promises
Biodegradable is a process, not a standard. Microorganisms can break the material down — eventually, under some conditions. No time limit, no required environment, and in most countries no third-party test linking the claim to a number. Wood is biodegradable. So is a cotton shirt. Neither belongs in a compost bin at scale.
Compostable is a contract with a facility. The item will disintegrate and biodegrade within a stated window, in stated conditions, leave no ecotoxic residue and pass heavy-metal limits — verified by an independent body for that product. EN 13432 and ASTM D6400 describe industrial composting; OK Compost HOME describes a backyard pile. Different envelopes, sometimes different certificates.
So compostable is the stronger claim. It can still be the weaker purchase when the compost facility is 300 km away and does not accept your packaging.
The scenario table
| Where the waste goes | Conditions | Industrial compost certified | HOME certified | “Biodegradable”, uncertified | Conventional plastic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard bin | 15–30 °C, little turning, 6–12 months | Too slow; fails visual check | Works, if certified HOME | Unpredictable; often fragments | No |
| Municipal industrial compost | 55–60 °C, 12-week residence | Accepted | Accepted, degrades fast | Often rejected as contamination | No |
| Anaerobic digester | 35–55 °C, wet, no oxygen | Depends on the plant’s feedstock rules | Ask the operator | Rejected | No |
| Landfill | No oxygen, compacted | Very slow; decades | Very slow | Fragments into microplastic | Very slow |
| Open environment (ocean, roadside) | Cold, no controlled biology | Not designed for this | Not designed for this | Fragments — the oxo-degradable failure | Fragments |
| Recycling stream | Mechanical sorting | Contaminates bales | Contaminates paper bales | Contaminates | Correct for PET/HDPE |
Read down the columns and the answer depends on which row you are in. A foodservice operator whose city runs compost collection: industrial compostable wins. A household with a backyard pile: only a HOME-certified item closes the loop.
The landfill column, honestly
Bagasse and PLA break down in landfill, slowly, much of it anaerobically and producing methane rather than CO2. Landfill is not composting with a lid on it. If your market sends 80% of waste to landfill, a compostable package delivers a lower-carbon material and a lighter end-of-life burden — not a disposal win. Claiming more is greenwashing, and it is being enforced.
PFAS sits on top of everything
PFAS were used for decades as grease barriers in paper and moulded fibre. They do not biodegrade, they migrate into compost, and Maine, Minnesota, New York and California now restrict intentional PFAS in food packaging.
The trap: an item can be certified EN 13432 and still be a poor compost feedstock if its grease barrier carries fluorinated chemistry. The standard tests compostability; PFAS screening was added only recently. Ask for two documents — the compostability certificate and a batch-linked PFAS declaration. Bare bagasse handles many foods. Pizza and curry need a barrier, and that is where the risk lives. We explain ours on the certification standards page.
“Degradable” and the oxo trap
“Degradable”, “oxo-biodegradable” and “bio-based” are not compostability claims. Oxo-degradable additives break polyolefin film into fragments; the EU restricted them under Directive (EU) 2019/904, and they do nothing in a compost pile. D2W-type samples still reach us from Southeast Asia. They fail a disintegration test within weeks, so testing is cheap insurance.
So which do you buy?
For most distributors: certified compostable for SKUs sold where collection exists, HOME-certified where the buyer has a garden, recyclable or fibre-based elsewhere. Keep “biodegradable” off consumer-facing claims unless a standard backs it, because that is the word regulators watch.
Check the local picture before ordering: our home vs industrial composting guide covers what each facility accepts. For plates and bowls, bagasse plates wholesale lists sizes, weights and certifications.
Cost: certified compostable tableware runs 2–3 times the price of plastic. The premium buys a claim that survives an audit, not a waste system.
FAQ
Is compostable always better than biodegradable?
Only when a facility is available and accepts the item. Compostable is the verifiable claim, but with no collection an industrially compostable plate ends up in landfill anyway.
Can compostable packaging go in a normal bin?
Physically yes — to landfill or incineration, where it delivers none of its benefit and can contaminate recycling if the bin is later sorted.
Does compostable packaging contain PFAS?
Some does. EN 13432 certification does not automatically rule it out. Ask for a batch-level PFAS declaration and prefer PFAS-free barriers.
Is biodegradable packaging bad for the ocean?
No packaging is good for the ocean. Compostable materials are not designed for marine conditions and degrade slowly in cold seawater. Collection is the fix.
What about biodegradable plastic bags?
Most are PE with starch filler or a pro-oxidant additive; they fragment rather than biodegrade. Oxo-degradable versions have been restricted in the EU since 2021.
Which is better for restaurants?
Industrial compostable, if your city or hauler runs a compost route that takes packaging. If not, a recyclable product with an honest claim beats a compostable one headed for landfill.
Send me the postcode of your customer base and the SKU you are weighing up, and I’ll say which certification matters there. Use the quote request form, destination market in the notes.
