What Is Upcycling? How Rice Husks Save Waste
Over the last several decades, we have been encouraged to recycle for the good of the environment, and it’s made a difference! In the United States alone, 32% of generated trash was diverted from disposal in 2018 thanks to recycling and composting. We can do even more with upcycling! For agricultural waste in particular, which is organic matter rather than man-made material, there is a wealth of potential to be tapped. In the būmi community, we’re starting with rice husks. What does upcycling mean? Upcycling means to take waste material that would normally be disposed of—as in sent to a landfill or burned—and turning them into something new. In other words, upcycling looks at waste and says, “Hey, I can do something with that!” and prevents it from ending up in the garbage. Take textile waste, for example. Instead of contributing to the millions of tons of fabrics sent to landfills annually, pieces of shirts can be turned into colorful quilts and leftover scraps can be used as filling inside a larger upcycled product (like pillows or stuffed animals). The waste we start with doesn’t have to be the remnants of a useful item: We can do amazing things with agricultural waste, too! It’s all part of the same goal for sustainability. What are the benefits of upcycling? With upcycling, we can halt the waste disposal process before it ever reaches a landfill or incinerator. Disposing of it is, well, a waste! Just think of what we can do when we turn it into usable material instead. …and much more! While recycling is important and worth doing, that familiar triangle with interlocking arrows found on plastics doesn’t always mean the product is recyclable. That triangle actually refers to a product’s resin code, and the majority of the recyclable plastics have a 1 (PET and rPET) or a 2 (HDPE and rHDPE). The rest? Much more likely to end up in a landfill anyway despite your best intentions.
Join A Waste-Free Future! Reducing Our Carbon Footprints
We are constantly reminded of the relationship between our actions and the health of the environment. The new records set every year for local and global temperatures, severe weather, rising sea levels, and more bring climate change to the front of our minds. In response, we’re making changes to the way we live. Recycling programs are in effect around the world, upcycling is increasingly popular, and bioplastics are beginning to replace single-use plastics. As a society, how can we reduce our carbon footprint? What is a carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is the impact an entity—a person, a business, a product—has on the environment. The “carbon” in the name is in reference to carbon dioxide, as CO2 is used as a rough equivalent to calculate any given footprint. More technically, carbon footprints are a measurement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By boiling our environmental impact down to one metric, carbon footprints are a convenient and easy-to-understand way to compare people, products, industries, and more. Otherwise, it would be difficult to visualize how our individual activities measure up to worldwide natural and industrial forces. For example, the average American’s per capita GHG emissions total to 14.4 metric tons, while the United States agriculture sector has an equivalent of 593.4 million metric tons of CO2e. What goes into one person’s carbon footprint? The average person’s environmental footprint is roughly determined based on several factors. Some of the biggest include: Are carbon footprints accurate? It’s important to remember that carbon footprints are estimates. They function as a metric to compare the difference in environment impact between entities and time periods rather than providing an exact number. It gives us a way to see the progress we’ve made working together to heal and protect the environment. It also shows us where improvement is needed and where we as a society can make the most change. The connection between composting and carbon footprints The biggest impact composting has on global GHG emissions is returning organic waste directly to the earth rather than sending it to a landfill. This is known as a circular economy, where the materials we harvest are used and then, when they’ve reached the end of their life, are returned to the beginning of the cycle to start again. Over 20% of the waste in United States landfills is food waste. If it was composted instead, food waste’s carbon footprint would shrink to a fraction of its size. It’s not just about reducing waste either! Composting enhances soil quality, including water-holding capacity and increased nutrients. Rather than solely releasing carbon dioxide, composting requires carbon-rich materials to break down, which keeps CO2 in the life cycle rather than in the atmosphere. Composting goes beyond mitigating damage: It improves the environment. The quality of what we compost is also important. When considering bioplastics, ensuring compostable products are free of microplastics and other toxins is essential to minimizing our carbon footprint. Composting doesn’t have to be done alone. While you can do home composting in your backyard if you choose, large quantities of compostable material—such as those accumulated by businesses—can also be diverted to industrial composting facilities. Calculating carbon footprints Calculating carbon footprints and GHG emissions is complicated and there are many ways to do it. Because the general unit of measurement is CO2 equivalent (CO2e), calculations in the background are necessary to convert electricity, natural gas, oil, and more into a single unit. If you’re curious about your own carbon footprint, there are many calculators by reputable organizations like the United Nations that help you understand your personal impact. They can offer valuable insight into how to reduce your carbon footprint. What does a life cycle assessment (LCA) measure? LCAs measure a product’s sustainability and environmental impact. It follows the entire life cycle of a product and analyzes each stage: Before the assessment begins, the goal and scope are defined to identify what metrics will be measured. At each stage, the inputs (e.g., energy) and outputs (e.g., emissions) are quantified. The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is where those numbers are converted into actual impacts. There are over a dozen potential categories, including: The results give businesses an idea of where they stand in terms of their carbon footprint and show them a path to move forward. How does būmi reduce our carbon footprint? One of the things that makes būmi unique is what it’s made of. Compostable products are often made out of equally renewable, organic material like bamboo. They can be made of a mix of the plant’s by-products and the part that could be used for other purposes. Our products go a step further by primarily using agricultural waste in the form of rice husks. Rice is the third most produced commodity in the world—that creates a lot of waste! The agricultural waste burned or sent to a landfill contributes to about 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, or 1.2 Gt CO2e. By taking action to divert rice husks into upcycled products, būmi is putting a dent in that number. At the same time, every package made from bioplastics is an improvement on the impact petroleum-based plastics have on the environment. So, how do būmi’s compostable products reduce our carbon footprint? Looking for more details about būmi’s positive impact? Keep an eye out for our official life cycle assessment in the future! Key takeaways about carbon footprints Reducing carbon footprints isn’t only on the individual: It’s also up to businesses, industries, and nations. It will take time to make drastic changes worldwide, but our planet is worth it.
Weeks, Not Centuries: How Microbe-Edible Materials Return to the Earth
As we turn to waste solutions that help the environment rather than harm it, plastic is one of the most pressing issues. The lifecycle of conventional, single-use plastics is daunting: Shopping bags take decades to break down, and sturdier items like water bottles take centuries. Fortunately, there’s a better path. By turning organic agricultural waste into microbe-edible materials that perform just like conventional plastic, we can return what we use back to the soil, in weeks, not centuries. What does biodegradable mean? By definition, something that is biodegradable will break down into natural elements when exposed to a natural environment. That could mean degrading when exposed to air, water, soil, and a number of other factors. The technical term is an essential test criteria in obtaining third-party composting standard certifications. There’s also no specific timeline for what makes something biodegradable: Even if it takes centuries, a material can still be called biodegradable. Unfortunately, the word has fallen into the trap of “greenwashing” among so many eco-friendly terms used for marketing and sales. Regulation on calling a product biodegradable is inconsistent depending on where you live, meaning some “biodegradable” products break down incompletely or leave traces of microplastics or metals behind. When we talk about bioplastics turning into soil, we need to be careful about what a particular bioplastic actually degrades into. What makes biodegradable plastic different from microbe-edible plastic? Both biodegradable and microbe-edible fall within the “bioplastic” category. They will break down and return to the earth over time, but biodegradable plastics don’t always break down completely or safely. Depending on what they’re made of, they can degrade into materials that are harmful to plants, animals, and soil. Microbe-edible plastic goes further. It’s not just biodegradable, it’s literally consumed by microorganisms, breaking down into organic matter that’s safe and beneficial for the environment. And it does so in weeks, not centuries. How long does it take būmi’s microbe-edible products to break down? The big question: how long before it’s actually gone? The answer: around 3–6 months. At roughly 24 weeks, you should see significant breakdown into organic matter — no plastic residue, no waste. The exact timeline depends on a few factors. Microorganisms need the right conditions to do their best work: Get those conditions right, and būmi’s materials are consumed by microorganisms and returned to the earth — right in your own backyard. If it’s microbe-edible, is it still functional? Yes! Microbe-edible materials are designed to hold up through their entire intended use, and only begin breaking down when introduced to the right environment.For example, PVA bioplastics (such as those used for detergent pods) made from sugar cane dissolve in water. They’re designed to hold up until introduced to the element that will degrade it once the product has completed its function. būmi products work the same way. They perform like conventional plastic until microorganisms get to work. Here’s what that looks like in practice: Do not break down in water, but are fully consumed by microorganisms in the right soil environment Recyclable plastics versus microbe-edible plastics Most people are familiar with single-use plastics and the harm they do to the environment. Recycling programs are widespread, and they do help prevent waste from going to the landfill, but recycled plastic is still plastic. It sticks around for a long time, and will continue to do so after we’re gone. Microbe-edible plastic is a significant step above. Rather than reprocessing plastic into another plastic product — with microplastics being a common side effect — microbe-edible materials create a true circular economy. The materials are consumed by microorganisms and returned safely to the soil, leaving behind nothing harmful. And recycling itself is more complicated than most people realize. To recycle correctly, you need to check the resin code — the familiar triangle surrounding a number (1–7) on the bottom of plastic products. Most plastics recyclable at home through normal waste collection fall into categories 1 and 2. The other five typically require special treatment, if they can be recycled at all. Home compostable versus industrial compostable, and why we say microbe-edible You’ve probably seen products labeled “compostable.” But that word covers a lot of ground — and not all of it means what you’d hope. The key distinction is between home compostable and industrial compostable. Industrial compostable products require specialized facilities — higher temperatures, controlled conditions — that simply can’t be replicated in a backyard bin. Home compostable products, on the other hand, break down in a regular compost environment without any special equipment. That distinction matters more than most people realize. Not all industrial composting facilities even accept compostable plastics — they can be difficult to verify and complicate the process. When rejected, those materials get diverted right back to the landfill, defeating the purpose entirely. būmi products are genuinely home compostable. But we prefer a different word: microbe-edible. Because what’s really happening isn’t just decomposition — it’s microorganisms consuming the material and converting it into organic matter that’s safe and beneficial for the earth. No industrial facility required. No uncertainty about whether it’ll actually break down. If you have a garden, the payoff is real, compost is full of nutrients to enhance the soil. Trading būmi materials for healthier soil? That’s the whole point. Frequently asked questions about microbe-edible plastics Before returning your būmi materials to the earth, it helps to understand what’s actually happening, and what to do with products that aren’t microbe-edible. Here are a few common questions to get you started. How does the breakdown process work? When organic matter — food scraps, dry leaves, and microbe-edible materials — is compiled in a bin or pile with plenty of oxygen, it creates the perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to get to work. The process causes heat to rise to around 140°F/60°C, then cool to around 80°F/30°C, at which point worms and other organisms break down the remaining material. After 3–6 months, what’s left is nutrient-rich organic matter ready to feed your soil. Is biodegradable