When you think of the world as a whole, you probably imagine pristine land and seascapes. Unfortunately, most of those vast expanses are littered with human pollution. The world pollution crisis is growing bigger by the day. Wherever we go, we leave so much of ourselves behind. We are expanding out into nature at an unprecedented pace. 

However, we still haven't found a solution to how to dispose of trash. All sorts of human garbage are piling up in our lush landscapes and in our oceans. Landfills are overflowing, and the endless barrage of stuff doesn't seem to stop. One o the ways forward through this mess is to adopt biodegradable materials to replace plastics in our everyday lives. 

Why Just for Businesses?

While individuals need efforts to reduce the amount of trash they produce, it is nothing compared to a business. Businesses generate vast volumes of garbage every day, much more than the average person. Unless these entities start to adopt biodegradable material, individual efforts will be like a drop in the ocean. 

Packaging 

Everything we buy or get delivered is wrapped in varying types of plastic and non-biodegradable packing. Be it toothbrushes covered in hard plastic or cheap disposable packaging business waste is everywhere. 

Businesses use this type of packaging because they are durable and affordable. If we replace these with environmentally friendly alternatives like cellulose-based plastic, we can ensure a cleaner future for our planet. As individuals, we can choose to pay a premium for greener packaging methods to ensure that it is sustainable for businesses to use them as well. When selecting packaging materials, it's best to select durable materials that can be used multiple times. For instance, encourage recipients and employees to reuse the padded mailers and envelopes as they are usually sturdy enough to withstand multiple shipments.

Cutlery 

When the pandemic hit, the world was put into lockdown. We were stuck in our houses and apartments, waiting for the virus to disappear. A lot of people lost access to the restaurants and daily haunts they would go to instead of cooking. As a result, deliveries increased. Along with deliveries, the amount of disposable cutlery going to the landfill increased as well. 

With packaging, it is difficult to find viable alternatives that can be used commercially. With cutlery, there is at least one biodegradable option available. Disposable wooden cutlery is used in many countries across the world with excellent results. They are strong, don't break easily, lightweight, and cheap. While we still need our trees, unlike plastic, wood is readily biodegradable and renewable.

Straws 

The average person consumes 6.4 liters of alcohol every year. That's approximately 213 drinks if we count 30ml of alcohol in every drink. This translates to 213 plastic straws that go into a landfill for every person you see around you! Straws cause havoc in the ecosystem as not only do they persist for thousands of years, they also trap wildlife, causing a slow death. 

There has been a lot of conversation about the star problem in recent years. We have a few viable alternatives that have turned up, like metal straws, bamboo straws, and even paper straws. However, we need more businesses to sign up to use these green solutions to reverse the pollution trend. 

Fishing Nets 

The fishing industry is one of the largest industries in the world. As it currently stands, fishing practices are unsustainable and are killing our oceans. Overfishing has been extensively written about and in many places reversed for the betterment of the environment. But there is another significant way they are polluting the ocean - abandoned fishing nets. 

It is reported that these fishing nets kill and injure over 100,000 marine wildlife every year. This includes whales, turtles, and dolphins, which are on the vulnerable and endangered species list. Many times these nets just break loose and are impossible for anglers to locate. This is why we need biodegradable alternatives that will quickly break down over time if kept submerged for a long time. 

Recycling 

When looking for greener products, consumers tend to trust when companies say that the materials they're using can be recycled. However, there's a big difference between being able to recycle something and recycling it. For example, banana peels can be composted, but unless you actually make a compost bin and put it in, it still ends up rotting in a landfill. 

Businesses need to have easy access to recycling facilities. Recycling should be subsidized to encourage more and more organizations to make it part and parcel of their daily operations. This is the only way to ensure we utilize the green technology available to us now instead of sending preventable items to stagnate in our overburdened landfills.