Slashdot Mirror
Some Biodegradable Plastics Don't Live Up To Their Claims
ckwu writes From bread bags to beverage bottles, many plastics now contain additives designed to make the materials biodegradable. But a new study shows that plastics made with such additives do not biodegrade in the environment significantly faster than those without the compounds. Researchers prepared films of commercial plastics with three different types of additives supplied by their manufacturers. The researchers then treated the film samples to mimic disposal of such plastics in a compost pile, a landfill, and soil. After about six months of composting, a year and a half of landfill-like conditions, and three years of soil burial, the plastics with additives did not show any more evidence of biodegradation than plastics without them.
A real recycle program, not one where you have to pay to get the stuff taken away, combined with more use of bioplastics might help if combined with industrial composting. Trying to make the existing stuff doesn't solve the problem; namely that we simply throw it away and bury it.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
No way.
I'm well aware of biodegradable plastic-like materials, but they are not plastic. They're typically cellulose and they DO biodegrade, and they are real decent and successful products. You can find cellulose grocery bags, containers and disposable dishes. These products are the real deal, and anything that's still actually plastic is a fraud.
20 years ago I got a yellow rain jacket (the trash bag kind) once when on a cruise by Niagra falls. Written on the back in huge block letters was the word "Biodegradable". It is still usable today. I have little trust of biodegradable plastics until I see proof.
I read the internet for the articles.
Why would we want our oil produces biodegrading into carbon dioxide when they can be easily sequestered in the ground?
They are spending a great deal of money trying to sequester the carbon dioxide from our other oil produces in the ground.
I'm sure these idiots know the proper way to biodegrade plastic is expose it to UV. Which makes me wonder what their motivation was for testing in other conditions? Granted, these are "normal" disposal methods, but if you read the products they usually say "biodegradable in sunlight".
So crying that they don't biodegrade when buried is like buying solar panels and then complaining they don't produce power at night.
break down to their claims?
So even it goes to the landfill and turns into dirt, then you have heavily contaminated dirt that will never be used as dirt. It's still sitting in the landfill with practically the same volume and mass.
It seems that sunlight will degrade plastics. Maybe not quick, but quicker than things that aren't outside in the sun and weather.
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
Just like a body the Mob buries once it is Buried there is no proof. Hence the Oil Companies tell this bold faced lie because lets be honest who is going to dig up a landfill to see if they are?
fire the engineers, hire good sales people.
I keep seeing "oxo-biodegradable" on plastic bags but the problem is that it can be either regular plastic with additives (which is the worst idea possible - breaking plastic down into smaller pieces just means easier ground and water contamination) or cellulose.
What we need is biodegradable plastics made from cellulose and we need to be able to know which is which.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
now playing at your local airport and landfill
Don't you know, you could make more money as a butcher?
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
For something they say takes hundreds of years to breakdown.
On the other hand we are told about the plastics problem yet in the ocean they are surprised the plastics are breaking down as fast as they are. http://news.nationalgeographic...
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
Just drop it in a bayou! That's what bayoudegradeable is. (needless to say I love this topic) Many folks in south Louisiana throw washing machines, boat parts and engines, enemies, etc in the bayou in hopes it will degrade. Would work for these plastics, too! However, I am not seriously suggesting that this junk get dumped in our bayous.... just a funny way to tout my userID.
Sig Registration Form 34c_766(a) submitted to Ministry of Signature Management. Approval pending.
Regular plastic degrades in 5 million years. Biodegradable plastic degrades in 10,000 years. Biodegradable plastics ftw!
And there is nothing "bio" about this process. Those hoped-for microorganisms which are supposed to digest the plastic do not exist in nature.
There are real biodegradable plastics, but they are not made of polyethylene, but from polylactic acid, starch or cellulose. There are even synthetic, biodegradable plastics which decompose just as well as the biopolymer-based sort. But they cost more, so this oxo-degradable variation of polyethylene was invented.
You know it's time for the next revolution when your rulers' names end with roman numerals.
if they want plastic to fall apart, warrant it to last 367 days. I can damn near gaurranty it'll fall apart at 368 days. Of course, you have those damn edge cases that fail in 30 days and the few that occur within the first seconds of use but the vast majority will survive 367 days without problem
Captcha = satanic
I just don't understand why the US won't just burn the vast majority of its waste for power. Numerous other countries do it. Even burning plastic isn't particularly bad for the environment, especially when compared with the alternatives. And with only one exception (aluminum), recycling is just a energy sink.