Every time you do a food shop, you might check the labels to see if the packaging can be recycled. If the word &#;biodegradable&#; pops up, you may be even more confident that you&#;re helping to reduce the amount of pollution that enters our environment. But biodegradable can be a misleading term, and it may be even be harmful for the planet.
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AdvertisementYes &#; and no. Biodegradable essentially means that an item can be broken down into increasingly smaller pieces by bacteria, fungi or microbes to be reabsorbed by the surrounding environment, ideally without causing any pollution. Some things are naturally biodegradable, like food and plants, while other items can break down into harmful chemicals or gases.
The trouble is, everything we use or create can be called biodegradable because eventually everything will break down &#; from organic waste and wooden cutlery to plastic packaging or steel machinery. It could just take a very, very long time. So, putting the word &#;biodegradable&#; on food labels isn&#;t very helpful for anyone trying to make greener shopping choices.
Again, there&#;s no simple answer. Just because something can biodegrade naturally, doesn&#;t mean it&#;s better for the environment.
When biodegradable products are sent to landfill, including biodegradable plastics and items like grass cuttings or newspapers, they break down into two greenhouse gases: methane and carbon dioxide.
According to a US study biodegradable plastic generates the most methane, followed by office paper, food waste and then newspaper, in the average landfill.
Now some landfill sites can collect methane and use it for energy. But the researchers found that many sites struggle to collect all the gas released &#; because different items break down at different rates. This means methane can escape into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming instead.
At the other end of the scale, if biodegradable items get completely buried in landfill with no exposure to bacteria, heat, oxygen, moisture or light, they may not decompose at all. The result is they're no better than single-use plastics and simply fill up landfill sites fill more quickly.
Biodegradable plastics were introduced as a more eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic but they&#;re not the green solution originally hoped for. In fact, a recent study by University of Plymouth&#;s international marine litter research unit found biodegradable plastic bags were largely undamaged and still able to carry shopping three years after being buried in soil or left in sea water.
A better alternative may be &#;compostable&#; or bioplastics. These are often made from plant materials, like starch, rather than fossil fuels and do exactly what it says on the tin &#; break down into materials such as water, oxygen and compost. Compostable plastics are best used for food packaging, like sandwich packets or compost caddy liners; it does not matter if they get mixed in food waste as everything can be disposed of together.
However, there are concerns over their use. That&#;s because only a small minority of compostable plastics can be put on your compost heap at home; the majority need industrial or local authority composters. These reach the higher temperatures and humidity needed to break down bioplastics properly.
And if compostable plastics get mixed up with the rest of your recycling, they could contaminate the lot. So it&#;s important to keep them out of your plastics recycling box.
Yes, there&#;s loads! First of all, make sure you&#;re doing everything you can to be a better recycler. If you do have a home composting system, check that everything you add is meant to be in there rather than an industrial composter. Find out if your local council collects compostable items and remember to keep them in a separate bin from other plastics.
Most of all, avoid buying anything that comes in single-use plastics, such as plastic water bottles or ready-meal trays, and stick to fresh, unwrapped foods &#; these may be the only things that can be truly said to be biodegradable.
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Plastic litter pollution in the oceans is increasingly emerging as a serious global environmental concern. Since , approximately 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced, with an estimated 6.3 billion tons disposed of as waste. Notably, ocean plastic litter stemming from discarded plastic containers washed into the sea has gradually deteriorated, fragmenting into microplastics. This process causes ecological and marine environmental degradation, garnering widespread attention.
"Biodegradable plastics" have been proposed as a potential solution to the aforementioned plastic waste dilemma.
This article delves into the technology, benefits, and drawbacks of biodegradable plastics.
For more information, please visit is biodegradable good.
*Information accurate as of September .
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that degrade under specific conditions after use. They can be handled similarly to general plastic products, but after use, they degrade at the molecular level through the action of microorganisms present in the natural environment, ultimately transforming into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).
Biodegradable plastics can be categorized into three groups based on raw materials and manufacturing methods. The details are outlined below.
&#;Microbially produced: Biodegradable plastics are manufactured utilizing microorganisms.
&#;Natural extracted: Derived from cellulose found in plants, corn, other grains, potatoes, and similar sources.
&#;Chemically synthesized: Produced through chemosynthetic reactions.
The following are examples of substances in "biodegradable plastics" based on the aforementioned classification.
Among the representative substances, the following provides an overview of the four substances that have garnered attention (highlighted in yellow in Table 1).
Biodegradable plastics offer significant environmental benefits due to their ability to decompose naturally through the action of microorganisms, ultimately breaking down into water and carbon dioxide. This decomposition is especially effective in compost systems, where these plastics contribute to the production of high-quality organic fertilizer without negatively impacting its quality. Additionally, when incinerated, biodegradable plastics have a low calorific value, which prevents damage to incinerators and minimizes atmospheric pollution. These characteristics make biodegradable plastics ideal for products used in natural settings or in applications where recycling is challenging.
The following table summarizes the fields and applications where biodegradable plastics find utility.
Biodegradable plastics decompose in environments such as soil or water, or in compost. In other words, creating an environment conducive to microbial activity is crucial for plastics to decompose effectively.
Biodegradable plastic agricultural mulch film typically takes several months or longer to decompose, while biodegradable plastic garbage bags break down into smaller pieces more quickly.
The rate of degradation of biodegradable plastics is highly reliant on microbial activity and the surrounding environment.
Biodegradable plastics generally incur higher production costs compared to conventional plastics. This is due to the labor-intensive development and production processes. Additionally, the utilization of plant-derived raw materials increases raw material costs in contrast to fossil fuels (e.g., petroleum).
While biodegradable plastics naturally degrade, the recycling process to reuse them as recycled resin may become challenging.
In particular, if marine biodegradable plastics* become predominant in the future, reusing them may become challenging, leading to a higher proportion being sent to landfills or incinerated, potentially impacting the recycling system.
*Marine biodegradable plastics: Plastics that are degraded in the ocean by the action of enzymes produced by microorganisms.
Biodegradable plastic snack food packaging labeled as "compostable" has sparked consumer complaints.
The "100% compostable package" faced criticism from users due to the bag wrinkling and emitting a loud noise when snacks were removed. Eventually, the manufacturer introduced a different biodegradable product that was "quieter," resolving the issue.
These early efforts in using biodegradable plastics underscore the importance of "anticipating and addressing new challenges proactively from the consumer's perspective."
Addressing environmental concerns in plastic waste involves promoting biodegradable plastics, biomass plastics, and material recycling with mono-materials. The benefits are as follows.
Biodegradable plastics possess the ability to decompose in the natural environment, reverting to soil and seawater. Conversely, biomass plastics utilize renewable organic resources like plants as raw materials, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as petroleum. Moreover, the adoption of "mono-materials" facilitates efficient material recycling, contributing to the realization of a circular economy.
Below is an in-depth overview of the current challenges and strategies for the three initiatives.
There are four major challenges to the widespread use of biodegradable plastics:
1. Technical issues in biodegradable plastics manufacturing
2. Establishment of evaluation and certification systems for manufactured products
3. Development of composting facilities
4. Reduction of production costs
Currently, only about seven types of biodegradable plastics are in practical use (refer to Table 1), necessitating ongoing development of new plastics that match the functions and performance of fossil fuel-based counterparts.
Establishing test methods to evaluate biodegradability and ensuring safety evaluation methods are essential. However, the presence of multiple standards and specifications for biodegradable plastics in Japan warrants attention. Additionally, the lack of consumer awareness leads to the improper disposal of biodegradable plastics mixed with regular plastic collection.
In Japan, the Japan BioPlastics Association (JBPA) was founded in with the objective of advancing and commercializing biodegradable plastic technology.
The JBPA has instituted the "Green Plastic Identification and Labeling System" to authenticate biodegradability and safety. Products meeting the JBPA's screening criteria are permitted to display the "Biodegradable Plastic" mark.
Various standards for biodegradable plastic test methods have been established in the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS), while the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) oversees standards abroad.
Other initiatives to promote dissemination include "expanding composting facilities" and "achieving cost reduction through economies of scale," which serve as focal points for future enhancements.
"Biomass plastic" refers to plastic derived from plant-based materials. Originally, it was categorized as carbon-neutral because it utilizes plant-derived materials (plants absorb CO2 and water for growth), thereby not contributing to the increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
To encourage the adoption of biomass plastics, the Japanese government ratified the Kyoto Protocol in June , followed by the announcement of the "Biomass Nippon Strategy" in the same year. Subsequently, in , it formulated a "Roadmap for Bioplastics Introduction" and is actively promoting the implementation of measures among bioplastics manufacturers, users, retail service providers, and others.
The following four issues need to be addressed to promote the use of biomass plastics:
1. Higher price compared to materials derived from fossil fuels (e.g., petroleum).
2. Some biomass plastics do not biodegrade.
3. Certain biodegradable biomass plastics, assumed to degrade on the ground by microorganisms, do not easily degrade in the ocean.
4. The raw materials for biomass plastics are crops such as sugarcane and corn, so increasing production for bioplastics will impact sales of food crops.
Solutions to the above issues need to be presented systematically in the future.
The "Strategy for Strengthening Material Innovation Capabilities," formulated by the Japanese government on April 27, , sets the following goals to realize a circular economy:
1. Effectively use 100% of used plastics through reuse and recycling by
2. Introduce approximately 2 million tons of biomass plastic by
Specific efforts to achieve these goals are outlined as follows:
&#;Establishment of materials and product design technology (mono-materials) based on reuse and recycling, and formulation of product design guidelines
&#;Improvement of efficiency and sophistication of material recycling and chemical recycling technologies to achieve compatibility with carbon neutrality
Thus, "material recycling through mono-material" aligns with government policy.
DNP's mono-materials technology boasts two key features. Firstly, the materials are designed for easy recycling, reducing recycling burdens and enhancing the quality of recycled materials.
Secondly, they offer superior protection for the contents of product packages. DNP's mono-material packaging materials utilize proprietary converting technology to replace conventional composite materials.
DNP offers mono-material packaging materials in two types: PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene). Depending on the intended use, they can be utilized for products such as pouches and tube containers.
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