{"id":3475,"date":"2026-09-29T00:07:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/?p=3475"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:07:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:07:34","slug":"are-there-any-biodegradable-other-plastic-parts-4284-6b033b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/29\/are-there-any-biodegradable-other-plastic-parts-4284-6b033b\/","title":{"rendered":"Are there any biodegradable other plastic parts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, fellow buyers, sustainability nerds, and anyone who\u2019s ever stared at a pile of plastic parts thinking \u201cthis can\u2019t all be bad, right?\u201d I\u2019m Jake, and I\u2019ve been running the ship at my little other plastic parts supplier for almost 8 years now. If you\u2019re in manufacturing, product design, or even just someone who\u2019s had to source small, random plastic bits that aren\u2019t bottles or food wrap, you know \u201cother plastic parts\u201d is basically the catch-all category for stuff that doesn\u2019t fit the big, overused plastic bins. Think the little plastic brackets that hold a fridge door shelf in place, the wire ties that keep a lawnmower\u2019s wiring harness from flapping around, the tiny plastic spacers inside a car\u2019s dashboard\u2014those are the ones we deal with every day. Other Plastic Parts<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For the longest time, I heard the same question over and over: \u201cJake, can your other plastic parts be biodegradable? Because all the big stuff is getting called out, and I don\u2019t want my product\u2019s plastic bits to be the thing that gets it rejected for being wasteful.\u201d And honestly, for years, I had to say no. Back when I started, biodegradable plastics were either super weak, way more expensive, or only worked for single-use, thin items like grocery bags\u2014not the rigid, functional other plastic parts that hold machinery together for years. But lately? That\u2019s all changed. I\u2019ve been testing every new biodegradable material that hits the market, talking to chemists, and working with our fabricators to figure out what actually works for our customers. Today, I\u2019m breaking down if biodegradable options even exist for our side of the plastic industry, the real tea on how they work, what to actually avoid, and what I\u2019ve learned in the field after 8 years of messing with plastic parts for everything from blenders to outdoor playground equipment.<\/p>\n

First off, let\u2019s clear up the biggest myth out there: not all \u201cbiodegradable plastic\u201d is actually the same. You\u2019ve probably seen the labels\u2014some say \u201ccompostable,\u201d some say \u201cbiodegradable,\u201d some even say \u201coxo-biodegradable,\u201d and a lot of brands slap those terms on anything that looks vaguely green. But when we\u2019re talking about actual other plastic parts that need to hold up to daily use, extreme temperatures, rain, or being banged around in a warehouse for 5 years, this stuff isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the kind that actually works for our parts: bio-based biodegradable plastics. These are made from plant stuff\u2014think corn starch, sugarcane, algae, even some types of mushroom mycelium\u2014instead of crude oil. The key here is that they break down via microbes (bacteria, fungi) into natural stuff like CO2, water, and biomass, no weird toxic leftovers. The catch? They need specific conditions to break down, right? I used to think they\u2019d melt if you left them in the dirt for a month, and while that\u2019s not totally wrong, it\u2019s not the full story. For these bio-based plastics to biodegrade properly, they need industrial compost conditions\u2014think 140\u00b0F temperatures, high moisture, and a steady population of microbes. Regular backyard compost might be too cold or too dry to break them down fast, and if you toss one in a landfill, it\u2019ll sit there basically forever, same as regular plastic, because landfills are airless and don\u2019t have the microbes they need. That\u2019s a bummer, but it\u2019s way better than the old days where there was zero option for functional biodegradable other plastic parts.<\/p>\n

Wait, but what about oxo-biodegradable plastics? I get why people ask about these\u2014they\u2019re cheaper, made from regular oil-based plastic with a little additive that\u2019s supposed to make it break down. But here\u2019s the thing I tell every customer who asks about these: stay far, far away for functional other plastic parts. Those additives only kick in after a certain amount of time, and they often break the plastic down into tiny microplastics, not actual harmless biomass. I tested a batch of oxo-biodegradable plastic brackets a few years back for a gardening company, and a year later, when their customers started finding tiny plastic shavings in their soil, they pulled every single product and never came back. It\u2019s not worth the risk\u2014your product\u2019s reputation isn\u2019t worth a bunch of microplastics ending up in someone\u2019s garden or the ocean.<\/p>\n

Now, the big question: do these bio-based biodegradable materials work as actual other plastic parts, not just flimsy trial pieces? Let\u2019s talk about what we test for, because when you source other plastic parts, you need them to do a job, not just be green. For example, last year we had a customer making outdoor playground equipment\u2014they needed tiny plastic lock washers that hold the metal frame bolts in place. Regular plastic washers would crack after a year of being in the sun and rain, metal washers would rust. We tried these new bio-based biodegradable polypropylene alternatives? Wait, no\u2014actually, a lot of these are polylactic acid (PLA) based, but PLA gets brittle in cold weather, which is a problem for playgrounds in places like Minnesota. So we tested a blend of PLA and another bio-based polymer, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)\u2014that mix is way more flexible, holds up to UV light, and doesn\u2019t get brittle when it\u2019s 20\u00b0F outside. We supplied those lock washers, and this year, their quality control team sent us feedback that after 18 months, not a single one had cracked, and if those ever do end up in a compost facility, they\u2019ll break down completely in about 180 days. That\u2019s the kind of win we need.<\/p>\n

Another example: we work with a small appliance brand that makes countertop blenders. They needed tiny plastic gears inside the blender\u2019s motor housing\u2014these gears spin thousands of times a minute, so they have to be durable, not melt, and not leach any chemicals into the food. We tested a different bio-based biodegradable material for these, called starch-blended polyethylene (not the cheap kind I tested years ago), and it worked perfectly. No melting when the blender runs for 10 minutes straight, no weird taste when they tested for leachables, and it\u2019s biodegradable. The only catch? It\u2019s about 15% more expensive than regular oil-based plastic gears. But for a brand that\u2019s marketing itself as sustainable, that extra cost is worth it to avoid being the \u201cbad plastic part\u201d in a product that\u2019s supposed to be eco-friendly.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s be real\u2014this isn\u2019t a switch we can flip across all other plastic parts yet. Some other plastic parts just can\u2019t be biodegradable right now, and that\u2019s not a bad thing as long as you\u2019re honest about it. For example, we make plastic parts for industrial machinery that has to operate in 300\u00b0F environments\u2014no bio-based material can handle that kind of heat, because plant-based stuff starts to break down way before that. In cases like that, we work with customers to make their parts last longer, use less plastic overall, and when they do reach end of life, recycle them properly. That\u2019s a middle ground that works, and it\u2019s way better than forcing a biodegradable plastic part that will fail in 6 months just to check a \u201csustainable\u201d box.<\/p>\n

I also want to talk about the biggest mistake I see people make when sourcing biodegradable other plastic parts: greenwashing. A few years back, a big box hardware chain reached out wanting biodegradable plastic screws for their gardening section. They showed us a sample that had \u201cbiodegradable\u201d printed on it, but when we tested it, it was just regular plastic with a tiny amount of corn starch mixed in\u2014you could see the white flecks. That stuff would never break down properly, and it was priced almost the same as real biodegradable parts. We turned them down, because I don\u2019t want to be part of that. If you\u2019re going to go green with your other plastic parts, you need to do your research, not just take a supplier\u2019s word for it. Ask for test data: what\u2019s their breakdown time, what conditions do they need, do they have third-party certification (like BPI or OK Compost)? If a supplier can\u2019t give you that, walk away.<\/p>\n

So where do we go from here? I\u2019ve been in this game long enough to see how fast biodegradable materials are improving. 5 years ago, we could only make small, simple plastic brackets with bio-based material. Now we can make gears, washers, even tiny structural parts that hold up to heavy use. Next year, we\u2019re testing a new material made from recycled ocean plastic blended with biodegradable additives for parts that don\u2019t need to be 100% biodegradable, but need to be more sustainable than regular oil-based plastic. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this and you\u2019re someone who sources other plastic parts\u2014whether you\u2019re a product designer at a startup, a procurement manager at a manufacturing plant, or a small business owner putting together a new product\u2014this is where we come in. I don\u2019t do hype. I don\u2019t sell you a cheap plastic part that falls apart or breaks all your rules. I test every material, I tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I give you options that actually work for your needs.<\/p>\n

Plastic Parts<\/a> At the end of the day, other plastic parts don\u2019t have to be the enemy. We just need to stop treating them like an afterthought, and start looking for materials that are actually sustainable, actually work, and don\u2019t pretend to be something they\u2019re not. If you\u2019ve been on the hunt for biodegradable other plastic parts, or you\u2019re tired of the same old oil-based stuff that ends up in a landfill in 10 years, hit us up to chat. We\u2019ll send you test samples, break down the costs, and figure out what\u2019s right for your product.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. European Commission. (2021). Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics: A Guide for Businesses<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  2. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). (2022). Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics (D6400)<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2023). Plastic Waste Reduction: Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  4. Institute of Packaging Professionals. (2022). Sustainable Packaging for Non-Food Industrial Components<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  5. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2021). Performance of Biodegradable Polymers in Outdoor Applications<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Jiangsu Xinhuasheng Packaging New Materials Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Jiangsu Xinhuasheng Packaging New Materials Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional other plastic parts manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to wholesale durable other plastic parts in stock here and get quotation from our factory. Customized orders are welcome.
    Address: No. 5 Tieta Road, Industrial Park, Guyang Town, Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, China.
    E-mail: manager@jsxhsgs.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.xhsibc.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there, fellow buyers, sustainability nerds, and anyone who\u2019s ever stared at a pile of plastic … Are there any biodegradable other plastic parts?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":3475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3438],"class_list":["post-3475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-other-plastic-parts-4a52-6b30f2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fedyarov.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}