According to the EPA, Municipal Solid Waste Landfills account for 14% of the greenhouse gas emissions of Methane that the US releases into the atmosphere each year. This biproduct of biodegradation is equivalent to the annual output of 23.1 million passenger vehicles.

 

So, while it is fashionable to tout the biodegradability of some packaging materials, it can also be environmentally counterproductive when it happens in more primitive facilities unprepared to deal with the methane it creates. Many landfills are even specifically constructed to try to suppress biodegradation to reduce the release of these gases into the air. In any of these types of facilities REfoam should largely remain dormant so as not to contribute to this problem.

 

REfoam will however biodegrade in more modern biologically active landfills, which are designed to produce and collect Methane gas as a fuel. In most cases the gas is harvested to generate electricity, though it can be further refined to power compressed natural gas vehicles, aid in manufacturing, or be used in growing list of other applications.

 

Though recycling is the preferred disposal method for REfoam, the deliberate nature of its biodegradability does make it stand out as a smart waste material in comparison to many other packaging products it competes with.