Are Biodegradable Wipes Really Biodegradable?

Mike Davies | Thursday, October 8, 2020

Biodegradable wipes are usually made from bamboo (either bamboo grass or bamboo tree). Fully biodegradable wipes will be made from 100% bamboo and will have zero poisonous chemical compounds. This is what makes them much safer for the environment as well as for your child.

Bamboo is a great product to be used for wipes as not only does it naturally biodegrade but it also has multiple other qualities that allow it to be one of the best options.

  • Antifungal
  • Renewable - As bamboo can grow at such a fast rate and we have it in abundance, using it will not massively harm our current environment.

It can take a few months to around 10 years for these wipes to decompose depending on the conditions that they are in. If these bamboo wipes are added to a compost heap they can take a few months to decompose, if they are flushed down the toilet it could take them several years to fully decompose.

With this in mind always ensure that the wipes that you are purchasing are made 100% from a natural compound such as bamboo and contain no harmful substances. Also keep in mind that if you are wanting to compost these wipes, make sure to wash them before they are added to the compost as having chemicals from things like makeup or child excrement can be very bad and harmful to your compost.

Are wipes biodegradable?

Wipes are absolutely not biodegradable, most generic wipes that are not labelled as biodegradable are made from polyester and polypropylene. Many people believe that wipes are made from cotton as polyester gives the appearance of woven cotton.

These materials are plastics and will never actually break down into natural compounds, they will slowly breakdown into smaller and smaller particles that will pollute the environment such as our soil and oceans. This will inevitably come back to us humans as it will be poisoning our crops and marine/wildlife that we inevitably will digest.

How long do wipes take to decompose?

Non-biodegradable wipes that contain compounds such as polyester and polypropylene can take hundreds of years to decompose, and even after that, they will still only break down into much smaller plastic compounds that will be poisoning our environment.

This period can also be extended if the wipes are flushed and pushed into the ocean. The degrading process for these types of compounds is lengthened by their contact with the saltwater taking a wipe anywhere from 100 years and upwards to decompose.

Are Caboo wipes biodegradable?

Caboo wipes are made from bamboo grass which is arguably more eco-friendly than the traditional bamboo tree wipes. Bamboo grass can grow back within a few months in comparison to bamboo trees which will take around 30 years.

Caboo wipes are biodegradable and will be best degraded in a compost heap. Using a compost heap will shorten the degradation period massively however be sure to wash the wipes before adding to the compost.

These wipes are also very child friendly as well as being eco-friendly as they don't add any chemicals to the product that will affect a child and/or the environment.

© 2020 EthicalShift, Inc
Sitemap