Post by bonnasuttadhar225588 on Feb 15, 2024 8:38:45 GMT
As environmental awareness increases , consumers look for more planet-friendly products, which has led to the growth of the marketing of apparently compostable plastics at home, that is, plastic materials that promise that once their useful life is over, they will decompose. and they will be converted into organic compost at a speed similar to that of the rest of the materials and without leaving toxic residues. However, a new study carried out by the Plastic Waste Innovation Center at University College London points out that, in reality, much of the plastics offered as compostable bags are greenwash , because they do not actually disintegrate as promised on their labels. selling. Conscious consumers are victims of greenwash The study found that 60% of products labeled compostable do not decompose as promised. "In the laboratory, where [these plastics] have been tested and paid for by a manufacturer, they behaved in a way and were determined to be compostable in a home composter," said Danielle Purkiss, researcher and lead author of the study. However, specialists found that 14% of plastic packaging items were certified as “industrially compostable” and 46% are not compostable certified. For example, they could be "100% biodegradable," which generally means they cannot be composted. People want to do the right thing, but seem to navigate label confusion and struggle to know what goes where, and 85% remain enthusiastic about purchasing compostable plastics, according to the report.
Research reveals greenwash in the fight against plastics The researchers based their findings on data from 9,700 people across the UK who completed a survey called the Big Compost Experiment Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Email List about their understanding of plastic waste, 1,600 of whom took part in a home composting experiment and 900 completed it. Those who participated had a variety of composters, from worm composters to outdoor trenches. Participants used shovels, trowels and sieves to check their compost for traces of plastic before recording the results online. The findings showed that there was no specification that was reliably home compostable. The study also suggests that laboratory testing for these materials does not work, which is a broader problem for the plastics sector, and questions whether these product standards actually protect the environment. Researchers say the message hasn't been clear about how sustainable these compostable options are.
And, as Purkiss said, people are confused and don't know what the labels on compostable and biodegradable plastic items mean. Does plastic recycling not work? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ), compostable plastic is biodegradable, but not all biodegradable plastics are compostable. While biodegradable plastic can be designed to degrade in soil or water, compostable plastic refers to degradation into soil conditioning material (compost) under a certain set of conditions. However, for a plastic to be labeled commercially “compostable,” it must be able to decompose through biological treatment in a commercial or industrial composting facility. Composting uses microorganisms, heat and moisture to produce carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass that has similar characteristics to the rest of the finished composted product. So, the decomposition of the plastic should occur at a similar rate to the other items being composted (within 6 months) and should not leave behind toxic residues that negatively affect the ability of the finished compost to support plant growth.