Biodegradable Plastics vs Recycled Plastics: Performance and Applications
Source: Biodegradable Materials Research Institute
- Biodegradable Plastics Are Better Suited for Packaging and Agricultural Films
Biodegradable plastics are materials designed to maintain their required performance during their intended service life while being capable of degrading into environmentally harmless substances under specific natural conditions after disposal.
Biodegradable plastics offer several advantages in terms of performance, practicality, degradability, and environmental safety.
Performance: In certain applications, biodegradable plastics can achieve or even exceed the performance of conventional plastics.
Practicality: They provide similar application and hygiene performance compared with traditional plastics.
Degradability: After use, biodegradable plastics can break down under specific environmental conditions involving microorganisms, temperature, and humidity, eventually becoming fragments or non-toxic gases that can be naturally assimilated into the environment.
Environmental Safety: The degradation process produces no harmful substances and does not negatively impact humans, animals, or ecosystems.
The primary challenge limiting the widespread adoption of biodegradable plastics remains their higher production cost compared to conventional virgin plastics and recycled plastics.
As a result, biodegradable plastics offer the greatest advantages in applications such as packaging and agricultural films, where products have short service lives, are difficult to collect and recycle, and require strict contamination control.
- Recycled Plastics Are More Suitable for Applications with Lower Hygiene Requirements
Recycled plastics are produced by processing plastic waste through methods such as sorting, cleaning, melting, pelletizing, and modification to create reusable plastic materials.
One of the biggest advantages of recycled plastics is their lower cost compared to both virgin plastics and biodegradable plastics.
Depending on application requirements, recycled plastics can be modified to achieve various performance characteristics.
When recycled only a limited number of times, many plastics can maintain properties similar to virgin materials. In some cases, recycled resin can be blended with virgin resin to maintain stable product performance.
However, repeated recycling cycles gradually reduce material performance, eventually reaching a point where the material may no longer be suitable for demanding applications.
In addition, maintaining strict hygiene standards can be more challenging for recycled plastics compared to virgin materials.
Therefore, recycled plastics are generally better suited for products with lower hygiene requirements and applications where materials can be easily collected, sorted, and recycled.
Typical Property Changes After Recycling:
| Plastic Type | Property Changes After First Recycling | Property Changes After Multiple Recycling Cycles |
| PE (Polyethylene) | Yellowing may occur and performance may decline slightly. | Changes in viscosity; HDPE viscosity tends to decrease while LDPE viscosity may increase. |
| PP (Polypropylene) | Minimal color change; melt flow index increases. | Darker color, higher melt flow index, reduced tensile strength and elongation. |
| PS (Polystyrene) | Yellowing and some performance degradation. | Property degradation generally increases with recycling frequency. |
| PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) | Noticeable discoloration with light brown appearance. | May become opaque brown with declining viscosity. |
| ABS | Noticeable discoloration; performance remains relatively stable when recycled content remains below 20–30%. | Darker color and gradual decline in overall properties. |
| PA (Nylon) | Reduced elongation and increased stiffness. | Further color darkening and additional reduction in elongation. |
- Packaging Remains the Largest Source of Plastic Waste, Creating Greater Opportunities for Biodegradable Plastics
Both biodegradable plastics and recycled plastics play important roles in advancing sustainability.
Biodegradable plastics offer advantages in applications with short service lives and limited recycling opportunities, such as packaging and agricultural films.
Recycled plastics provide economic and environmental benefits in applications with longer product lifecycles and established recycling systems, such as consumer products, construction materials, and household appliances.
Rather than competing technologies, biodegradable and recycled plastics complement each other within the broader circular economy.
Because a significant portion of plastic pollution originates from packaging applications, biodegradable plastics have substantial growth potential in helping reduce environmental impact.
As regulations continue to evolve and production costs decrease, the future market outlook for biodegradable plastics remains promising.
Comparison Between Biodegradable Plastics and Recycled Plastics:
| Biodegradable Plastics | Recycled Plastics | |
| Biodegradability | Fully biodegradable | Not biodegradable |
| Performance of New Products | Comparable to conventional plastics | Varies depending on recycled content |
| Performance After Recycling | Not recyclable after biodegradation | Generally good for limited recycling cycles |
| Waste Management | Can be composted or degraded under suitable conditions | Requires collection and recycling infrastructure |
| Environmental Benefits | Reduces plastic pollution and dependence on fossil resources | Extends material life and reduces resource consumption |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Suitable for Single-Use Applications | ✔ | ✘ |
| Suitable for Cost-Sensitive Applications | ✘ | ✔ |
| Main Applications | Packaging, agricultural films | Consumer products, construction materials, appliances |
Source: Biodegradable Materials Research Institute