Content deleted Content added
Sphilbrick (talk | contribs) Reverted good faith edits by Desireland (talk): Copyright issue re http://www.futamuragroup.com/divisions/cellulose-films/products/natureflex/ (TW) Tag: Undo |
GhostInTheMachine (talk | contribs) m +link ASTM |
||
(6 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{TAFI}} |
|||
{{About||information on plastics derived from renewable raw resources (biomass)|Bioplastic|information on plastics designed to biodegrade in human bodies|Biodegradable polymer}} |
{{About||information on plastics derived from renewable raw resources (biomass)|Bioplastic|information on plastics designed to biodegrade in human bodies|Biodegradable polymer}} |
||
{{Multiple issues| |
{{Multiple issues| |
||
Line 23: | Line 24: | ||
Two basic classes of biodegradable plastics exist:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/how-long-does-it-take-for-plastics-to-biodegrade.htm |title=How long does it take for plastics to biodegrade? |publisher=How Stuff Works |author=William Harris |accessdate=2013-05-09|date=2010-12-15 }}</ref> [[Bioplastic]]s, whose components are derived from renewable raw materials, and plastics made from [[petrochemical]]s containing [[biodegradable additives]] which enhance biodegradation.It is made up of cellulose and starch |
Two basic classes of biodegradable plastics exist:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/how-long-does-it-take-for-plastics-to-biodegrade.htm |title=How long does it take for plastics to biodegrade? |publisher=How Stuff Works |author=William Harris |accessdate=2013-05-09|date=2010-12-15 }}</ref> [[Bioplastic]]s, whose components are derived from renewable raw materials, and plastics made from [[petrochemical]]s containing [[biodegradable additives]] which enhance biodegradation.It is made up of cellulose and starch |
||
== Examples == |
== Examples == |
||
[[File:Testing biodegradable containers.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Development of biodegradable containers]] |
[[File:Testing biodegradable containers.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Development of biodegradable containers]] |
||
Line 48: | Line 50: | ||
== Controversy == |
== Controversy == |
||
Many people confuse "biodegradable" with "compostable". "Biodegradable" broadly means that an object can be biologically broken down, while "[[compostable]]" typically specifies that such a process will result in compost, or [[humus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compostable?show=0&t=1348802329 |title=Compostable - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date= |accessdate=2018-07-16}}</ref> Many plastic manufacturers throughout Canada and the US have released products indicated as being compostable. The waste management infrastructure currently recycles regular plastic waste, incinerates it, or places it in a landfill. Mixing biodegradable plastics into the regular waste infrastructure poses some dangers to the environment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2013/03/biodegradable-plastic-its-promises-and-consequences/#.WLyKI2_yucM|title=Biodegradable Plastic: Its Promises and Consequences|date=2013-03-03|work=DUJS Online|access-date=2017-03-05|language=en-US}}</ref> However this claim is debatable, if the manufacturer was minimally conforming to the now-withdrawn American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard definition of the word, as it applies to plastics: |
Many people confuse "biodegradable" with "compostable". "Biodegradable" broadly means that an object can be biologically broken down, while "[[compost|compostable]]" typically specifies that such a process will result in compost, or [[humus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compostable?show=0&t=1348802329 |title=Compostable - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date= |accessdate=2018-07-16}}</ref> Many plastic manufacturers throughout Canada and the US have released products indicated as being compostable. The waste management infrastructure currently recycles regular plastic waste, incinerates it, or places it in a landfill. Mixing biodegradable plastics into the regular waste infrastructure poses some dangers to the environment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2013/03/biodegradable-plastic-its-promises-and-consequences/#.WLyKI2_yucM|title=Biodegradable Plastic: Its Promises and Consequences|date=2013-03-03|work=DUJS Online|access-date=2017-03-05|language=en-US}}</ref> However this claim is debatable, if the manufacturer was minimally conforming to the now-withdrawn [[ASTM International|American Society for Testing and Materials]] (ASTM) standard definition of the word, as it applies to plastics: |
||
<blockquote> "that which is capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site such that the material is not visually distinguishable and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials." (ASTM D 6002) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.compostable.info/compostable.htm |title=Compostable.info |publisher=Compostable.info |date= |accessdate=2018-07-16}}</ref> </blockquote> |
<blockquote> "that which is capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site such that the material is not visually distinguishable and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials." (ASTM D 6002) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.compostable.info/compostable.htm |title=Compostable.info |publisher=Compostable.info |date= |accessdate=2018-07-16}}</ref> </blockquote> |
||
Line 88: | Line 90: | ||
Compostable plastics combine the utility of plastics (lightweight, resistance, relative low cost) with the ability to completely and fully compost in an industrial compost facility. Rather than worrying about recycling a relatively small quantity of commingled plastics, proponents argue that certified biodegradable plastics can be readily commingled with other organic wastes, thereby enabling composting of a much larger portion of nonrecoverable solid waste. Commercial composting for all mixed organics then becomes commercially viable and economically sustainable. More municipalities can divert significant quantities of waste from overburdened landfills since the entire waste stream is now biodegradable and therefore easier to process. This move away from the use of landfills may help alleviate the issue of [[plastic pollution]]. |
Compostable plastics combine the utility of plastics (lightweight, resistance, relative low cost) with the ability to completely and fully compost in an industrial compost facility. Rather than worrying about recycling a relatively small quantity of commingled plastics, proponents argue that certified biodegradable plastics can be readily commingled with other organic wastes, thereby enabling composting of a much larger portion of nonrecoverable solid waste. Commercial composting for all mixed organics then becomes commercially viable and economically sustainable. More municipalities can divert significant quantities of waste from overburdened landfills since the entire waste stream is now biodegradable and therefore easier to process. This move away from the use of landfills may help alleviate the issue of [[plastic pollution]]. |
||
The use of biodegradable plastics, therefore, is seen as enabling the complete recovery of large quantities of municipal sold waste (via aerobic composting) that have heretofore been unrecoverable by other means except land filling or incineration. |
The use of biodegradable plastics, therefore, is seen as enabling the complete recovery of large quantities of municipal sold waste (via aerobic composting and feedstocks) that have heretofore been unrecoverable by other means except land filling or incineration.<ref>Hermes, Jennifer. [https://www.environmentalleader.com/2018/02/biodegradable-plastics-yes-no/ Biodegradable Plastics: Yes or No?] Published 5 Feb 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2019] </ref> |
||
==Energy costs for production== |
==Energy costs for production== |