Elevate Blog

What is Waste? Waste refers to materials that are unwanted or unusable. These waste materials are typically regarded as having no further value and are discarded after use. Historically, human civilizations have always grappled with waste, but the scale and nature of it have evolved dramatically. From the early practices of simply discarding waste in unoccupied areas to today’s sophisticated waste management systems, our approach to waste …

How do the breakdown processes of plastics and compostable materials differ, and why does it matter? The term "breaking down" is used to describe both the slow degradation of petroleum-based plastics and the biodegradation of compostable products. Adding to this complexity is the issue of greenwashing, such as additives that make plastics degrade faster, misleadingly suggesting a similarity to compostable materials. Understanding the …

What really is 'plastic'? The term encompasses a broad range of materials, each with unique properties and uses. Originally defined as “pliable and easily shaped,” the word now primarily refers to a category of materials known as polymers. Polymers, whether natural or synthetic, are substances composed of monomers - small building blocks - bonded together into large, complex molecules. The word itself means “of many parts.” When we talk …

How Does Compost Contamination Happen? Compost contamination is when non-compostable items end up mixed with organics in a compost bin. These are things that don’t belong in compost because they don’t decompose entirely (or at all) during the compost manufacturing process. This trash gets mixed up with compost feedstocks and, if not removed, can end up in finished compost and added to soil. There are a variety of reasons contamin …