Biodegradable bags are bags that can be broken down by bacteria or other living organisms.
Each year about 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide.
Video Biodegradable bag
Membedakan "biodegradable" dari "compostable"
In a typical language, the word biodegradable differs in the sense from which it can be composted. While biodegradable simply means objects capable of being broken down by bacteria or other living organisms, "compostable" in the plastics industry is defined as being biodegradable in an aerobic environment that is maintained under temperature and humidity under specially controlled conditions. Compost means being able to undergo biological decomposition on the compost site in such a way that the material can not be distinguished visually and decomposed into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a level consistent with known compost material. (ref: ASTM International D 6002)
The inclusion of "inorganic materials" prevents the final product from being considered as compost, or humus, which is pure organic matter. Indeed, under the definition of ASTM, the only criterion required for plastics to be called compost is that it should appear to go at the same level as others who already know is composted under traditional definitions.
Plastic bags may be made "oxo-biodegradable" by being made from normal plastic polymers (ie polyethylene) or polypropylene which incorporate additives that cause degradation and then polymer biodegradation (polyethylene) due to oxidation.
Maps Biodegradable bag
Trade association
The trade association for the Oxo-biodegradable plastic industry is the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association, which will certify the products tested in accordance with ASTM D6954 or (since 1 Jan 2010) UAE 5009: 2009
The trade association for the composting industry is the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), "European Bioplastics," and the Council of SPIBioplastics. Plastics are certified as compost for industrial composting conditions in the United States if they comply with ASTM D6400, and in Europe with EN13432.
Materials
Most bags made of plastic are made from corn based materials, such as Polylactic acid (PLA) -blends. The current biodegradable plastic bags are strong and reliable as traditional bags (mostly polyethylene). Many bags are also made of paper, organic materials, or polikaprolakton.
"The public sees biodegradable as something magical," although the term is widely used, according to Ramani Narayan, a chemical engineer at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and a science consultant for the Biodegradable Plastics Institute. "This is the most used and abused word in our current dictionary.In the Great Pacific dumpster, biodegradable plastic breaks into small pieces that can more easily enter the food chain by consumption."
Recycle
The former factory can often be recycled, but post-consumer sorting and recycling is difficult. The bio-based polymer will contaminate the more common recycling of other polymers. While biodegradable plastic manufacturers claim that their bags can be recycled, many plastic film recyclers will not accept them, as there are no long-term studies on the continuity of recycled product products with these additives. Furthermore, the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI) says that the additive formulations in the oxo films vary widely, which introduces more variability in the recycling process. Resident code of SPI Resin 7 applies.
Marketing qualifications and legal issues
Since many of these plastics require access to sunlight, oxygen, or long periods of time to achieve degradation or biodegradation, the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines for the USE OF ENVIRONMENT MARKETING CLAIMS, commonly called "green guidelines," require proper marking of this product. to show their performance limits.
The FTC gives an example:
Example 1: Garbage bags are marketed as "degraded", without any other qualification or disclosure. Marketers rely on ground burial tests to show that the product will decompose in the presence of water and oxygen. Garbage bags are disposed of exclusively at incineration facilities or in sanitary landfills that are managed in a way that inhibits degradation by minimizing moisture and oxygen. Degradation will become irrelevant for burnt garbage bags and, for those dumped in landfills, marketers do not have sufficient evidence that the bags will decline in a short time in the landfill. The claim is deceptive
Since no pass-fail tests for "biodegradable" plastic bags, manufacturers should print on environmental requirements products for future biodegradation, timeframes and final results to conform to US Trade Requirements.
In 2007, the State of California basically made the term "illegal biodegradable bag", unless the term was "proved by competent and reliable evidence to prevent deceptive or misleading consumers about the environmental impact of degraded, compostable, and biodegradable plastic bags, food, and packaging. "
In 2010, Australian plastic bag manufacturers who made unfounded or unqualified claims about biodegradability were fined by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which is the equivalent of the Australian FTC.
In recent years, BPI (certification body for compostable plastics) and related companies have claimed compost products in composting facilities available at 60 ° C (140 ° F). The Attorney General of Vermont found these claims as misleading and sued composite plastic companies for false claims.
See also
- Starch
- Sustainability
- Waste management
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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