A recent study advises that you should think twice before using plastic that promises to be compostable to dump food and garden waste.
Researchers have discovered that just forty percent of plastic labeled as “compostable” biodegrades completely into natural components as intended.
The remaining sixty percent of home-compostable plastics do not completely decompose in home compost bins and can consequently wind up in soils, according to the researchers.
The experts recommend that compostable plastics be sent to industrial composting facilities, where composting conditions are regulated, based on their findings.
This new study, published today in Frontiers in Sustainability, was spearheaded by University College London academics (UCL).
In their study, the authors state, “Compostable and biodegradable plastics are gaining in popularity, but their environmental credentials must be evaluated more thoroughly to see how they might be part of the solution to the plastic waste challenge.”
The majority of biodegradable and compostable plastics tested under varied home composting circumstances did not completely decompose, including sixty percent of those classified as “home compostable.”
We conclude that, for these two reasons, home composting is neither an effective nor environmentally advantageous waste treatment option for biodegradable or compostable packaging in the United Kingdom.
Food packaging, bags, cups, plates, cutlery, and biowaste bags are the most common applications of compostable plastics or polymers that decompose totally into nutrients and natural elements.
However, according to the researchers, there are basic difficulties with these polymers, as they are largely controlled and their environmental benefits are “frequently overestimated.”
When discarded or separated for recycling, the fate of plastics marketed as biodegradable is either incineration or landfill.
“The normal fate of trash or incineration is not typically mentioned to customers, so environmental claims made for biodegradable packaging can be deceptive,” said Danielle Purkiss, the author of a study conducted at UCL.
The researchers devised a citizen science project to determine what the general public thinks of home compostable plastics, how we handle them, and whether they completely decompose in our compost.
First, participants from around the United Kingdom responded to an online survey regarding their attitudes and actions regarding biodegradable plastics and food waste.
Then, participants were encouraged to participate in a home composting experiment, in which they assessed how long it took for various plastic types to break down and published their findings online.
The study included 9,701 individuals from across the United Kingdom, 902 of whom completed the home composting experiment.
The data was collected over a period of twenty-four months.
They discovered that 46% of examined plastic packaging items lacked home composting certification or standards labeling, whilst only 14% displayed industrial composting certification.
60 percent of plastic designated as home biodegradable did not decompose completely in home compost bins.
The survey also revealed that the public is confused by the labeling of compostable and biodegradable plastics, leading to improper disposal of plastic trash.
Despite the public’s “overall inclination” to make sustainable choices by purchasing biodegradable plastics, this is the case.
Purkiss stated, “There is a lack of clear labeling and information to ensure that the public can determine what packaging is industrially compostable or home composting and how to dispose of it properly.”
“Compostable packaging does not decompose efficiently under the spectrum of home composting conditions in the United Kingdom, resulting in plastic pollution.”
Even packaging that has been certified as compostable at home does not biodegrade efficiently.
Participants said that they utilize their compost in their flower and vegetable gardens, which means that plastic “inevitably” winds up in the soil of the United Kingdom.
In addition, the results indicated that compost bins are significant biodiversity hotspots, as 14 different types of organisms, such as fungi, mites, and worms, were depicted in photographs submitted by participants.
The analysis follows an OECD report published in February which indicated that only 9% of plastic garbage is recycled, while 50% ends up in landfills, 22% avoids waste management systems, and 19% is burnt.
In response to the pollution challenge, numerous nations have established goals to eradicate all single-use plastics by 2025 and to make all plastic packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable.
