Degradable Plastics And Their Potential For
Affecting Solid Waste Systems
Author(s)
K. L. Greene & D. J. Tonjes
Abstract
Plastic waste forms a substantial part of municipal solid waste and has caused
environmental concerns, particularly due to the chemical contamination of the
environment and effects from persistent litter. Plastics also complicate waste
management processes, such as by having poor recovery rates through recycling
and causing contamination in composting operations. One potential means of
addressing some of these challenges is through degradable plastics, which unlike
conventional plastics, are designed to decompose at an accelerated rate in
specific environments. Degradable plastics aim to address the end-of-life of
plastic products and are intended to reduce the environmental impacts associated
with their use and management. The first generation of degradable plastics did
not meet marketing claims; some of the more recent formulations, partly as a
consequence of third party certifications, are more compliant. However, many
plastics that are labelled as degradable do not decompose very readily, and it is
not clear that litter will be diminished to any great degree through their use. In
addition, user confusion regarding degradable definitions is common. Multiple
formulations mean that not all degradable plastics address compost
contamination and most degradable plastics do not address other problems
associated with plastics waste management. Therefore it is not clear that
degradable plastics constitute a major technological advance. In fact, they may
be more harmful than helpful to waste management systems at this time. Here
we discuss how these materials perform in different aspects of solid waste
programs: recycling, composting, WTE incineration and landfills, as well as the
potential for these plastics to reduce litter problems, both on land and at sea.
Keywords: compostable plastics, degradable plastics, municipal waste
management, composting.
Keywords
compostable plastics, degradable plastics, municipal waste
management, composting.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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