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A dozen FAQ's about our earth friendly bottle
What is the difference between biodegrading and composting and degradable? What is Aerobic and Anaerobic Biodegradation? What activates the biodegradation process in an ENSO bottle? What prevents ENSO bottle from degrading while in inventory or on the shelf? How long does it take for an ENSO bottle to biodegrade? When an ENSO bottle breaks down into biomass, what makes up the biomass? Isn't composting the only form of biodegradation? Does the EcoPure G2 additive impart any taste to the product contained in it? Which other companies are currently using EcoPure? What is the current impact of plastic bottles on the environment? What can consumers do to help reduce the environmental impact of plastic bottles? What if I place your plastic in the microwave? more
What is the difference between biodegrading and composting and degradable? Biodegradation: when plastic (or any other material) degrades from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or algae over a period of time. Biodegradation can occur in either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) environments. Compostable: is "capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost or aerobic environment to the point that the plastic is not visually distinguishable and breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass". In order for a plastic to be called compostable, three criteria need to be met:
For a definition of biodegradable see the explanation at the beginning of this section Degradable: means the plastic is only broken down or fragments into smaller and smaller pieces and will never completely disappear. Degradation can be intiated by oxygen, ultra violet light, or heat. In many cases these products begin to degrade the moment they are manufactured which leads to a shortened useful life. What is Aerobic and Anaerobic Biodegradation? Aerobic biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms when oxygen is present. Anaerobic biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganism when oxygen is not present. What activates the biodegradation process in an ENSO bottle? There are three types of microbial environments; suspended, dormant, and active. ENSO bottles with EcoPure require an active microbial environment in order to break down. In most environments such as warehouses, offices, store shelves the microbial environment would be suspended or dormant and would not be considered an active microbial environment. An active microbial environment is one that would have visible fungus and bacteria and would be extremely dirty in either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. This allows the microbes to colonize on the bottle and being to digest the polymer. What prevents ENSO bottle from degrading while in inventory or on the shelf? In most environments such as warehouse, offices, store shelves the microbial environment would be considered suspended or dormant and would not fall under an active microbial environment which is needed for EcoPure G2 to activate. An active microbial environment is one that would have visible fungus and bacteria and would be extremely dirty in either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. How long does it take for an ENSO bottle to biodegrade? There are a number of factors which contribute to the length of time required to fully biodegrade. These include the surface area of the plastic, the mass of the plastic, the thickness of the bottle, the microbial activity, oxygen or lack of oxygen, etc. For example, a bottle with smooth surfaces will biodegrade slower than if the bottle had grooves. The latest ASTM D 5511 laboratory test results show that ENSO bottles in a perfect anaerobic environment will fully biodegrade in 250 days. In microbial environments such as found in landfills and composting environments, biodegradation will take longer. When an ENSO bottle breaks down into biomass, what makes up that biomass? Biomass is essentially organic matter similar to soil or dirt. There are no toxic products within that biomass and what remains is basically microbial poop. Isn't composting the only form of biodegradation? No! There is much confusion about the term biodegradation and several organizations that support the PLA industry uses the term to state that composting is the only form of biodegradation. The ASTM defines biodegradable plastics as "a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally-occurring micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae". Biodegradation through naturally-occurring micro-organisms happen in both aerobic (compost) and anaerobic (landfill) environments. Does the EcoPure G2 additive impart any taste to the product contained in it? No, there is no known taste, flavor, or smell imparted to ENSO bottles. What other companies are currently using EcoPure? Better Office Products, Brooks Running Shoes (a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Co), American Pro Fold, Bedford Industries, Tevia, Formacell, and Cal Springs are just a few of the companies using the EcoPure technology in their products. What is the current impact of plastic bottles on the environment? The use of PET plastic containers continues to expand with the majority of PET being used as beverage containers. In 2006 more than 60 billion PET bottles were used for beverages. The multi-billion dollar a year beverage industry continues to grow. PET bottles are fully recyclable; however, with the beverage bottle being mostly consumed away from home and the lack of recycle receptacles in public locations, recycle rates are less that 25%. This means that overall more than 75% of all plastic PET bottles are ending up in landfills or as littler. Standard PET bottle which end up in landfills or as litter are estimated to take 500 years to biodegrade. This has lead to a very serious plastic pollution problem in landfills, water ways, and on the roadside, and this problem continues to grow along with the plastic bottle industry. What can consumers do to help reduce the environmental impact of plastic bottles? Become more aware of recycling programs within your area. The most important thing that each of us can do is recycle. Encourage friends and family members to participate in recycling. As consumers, we need to actively participate in recycling our plastic at home, if we're away, place them in a proper recycling container. As a second step, always purchase products using the ENSO bottles "Bottles for a Healthier Earth". This will ensure that no matter the final resting place for the bottle, it will recycle or biodegrade and if in a landfill will produce methane which is usable as a source for clean energy. What if I put your plastic in the microwave? There are no known health risks with placing ENSO or #1 PET bottles in the microwave. However, plastic bottles are typically very thin and can pose serious burn risks if the product contained in the bottle becomes hot. It is also not recommended since there are no known reasons why it would be necessary to heat up such a bottle in the microwave. |
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