 | Oxo-biodegradable Plastics AssociationUsername: OPA |
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Oxo-bio plastics
As to landfill, there are many different types. Oxo-bio plastic will breakdown if there is any oxygen present, but it is otherwise completely inert. Compostable plastic will emit methane in anaerobic conditions but oxo will not. Buzz clearly does not understand oxo and should stop adding to the confusion on this blog. He does not know the difference between oxo and photo. Oxo is not dependent on sunlight. Also there is no such thing as an "oxo-binder." d2w additive breaks the molecular chains in the polymer itself and does not leave any "poly resin." He does not understand compostable plastic either. It does not turn into a rich humus because in order to comply with ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 it has to convert itself into CO2 gas within 180 days. This adds to climate change but does nothing for the soil. He is also wrong about plants. There are plenty of reports by independent labs showing plant seeds growing in soil containing degraded oxo-bio plastic.
Oxo is NOT fake
The Report says on page 2 that it is not UK Government policy, and it does NOT say that oxo is fake. In fact, the Report confirms that oxo-biodegradable plastics: • DO DEGRADE ABIOTICALLY IN A NORMAL ENVIRONMENT • DO DEGRADE ABIOTICALLY UNDER ELEVATED TEMPERATURES FOUND IN LANDFILL • DO BIODEGRADE (though not fast enough for composting - but they are not designed for composting) • DO NOT EMIT METHANE EVEN DEEP IN LANDFILL • CONTAIN NO HEAVY METALS, and ARE SAFE FOR FOOD CONTACT The report also confirms that: • PRO-DEGRADANT ADDITIVES ARE NOT HARMFUL AND HAVE NO NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN THE PRODUCTION AND USE PHASE • THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF BIO-ACCUMULATION NOR ANY HARMFUL EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT • THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ACCUMULATION OF POLLUTANTS • THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT DEGRADABLE PLASTICS ENCOURAGE LITTERING OPA Member-company Symphony UK have published a detailed response to this report and have met with the Environment Minister see http://d2w.net/response.pdf
Wrong again Buzz
The whole point of laboratory tests is that they simulate conditions in the real world. They are not themselves conducted in the real world, and tests results are only a guide as to how the tested material will actually perform in the real world. As Buzz says “confirmation to real world exposure is ultimately required as with all ASTM International standards.” ASTM D6400 and 6868 are two of those standards, and neither of them contain any “real-world” testing. As to hydro-carbon emissions - In June 2009 Germany’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Research concluded that oil-based plastics, especially if recycled, have a better Life-cycle Analysis than compostable plastics. They added that “The current bags made from bioplastics have less favourable environmental impact profiles than the other materials examined” and that this is due to the process of raw-material production. For a diagram showing the huge hydro-carbon emissions created in the production of vegetable-based polymers see http://www.biodeg.org/files/uploaded/biodeg/Hydro-biodegradable_Plastic_Production_Process.pdf The cultivation, growth, harvesting, transportation and production of sugar-cane based ethanol will also create big hydrocarbon emissions, unless they are still using slaves on the plantations.
"Deep Dish" is not correct.
"Deep Dish" is not correct. Published scientific work over the past 30 years proves that oxo-biodegradable plastic does not just fragment. Fragmentation is just the first (abiotic) stage, but when the additive has reduced the molecular weight the material becomes accessible to micro-organisms and is bioassimilated in the same way as leaves or twigs. No heavy metals are used in any additives approved by the Oxobiodegradable Plastics Association. Furthermore those additives are independently tested for ecotoxicity and food-contact. Compostable plastic is not really renewable because huge amounts of hydrocarbons and water are used in the agricultural production processes. In June 2009 Germany’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Research concluded that oil-based plastics, especially if recycled, have a better Life-cycle Analysis than compostable plastics. "Deep Dish" is however correct about the standards organisations. These are dominated by the big compostable plastic companies, who have consistently blocked any proposal in Europe for standards suitable for oxo-biodegradable plastics. However, there is a suitable standard in the US (ASTM D6954) and the UAE has just created its own standard which will be widely used in the Middle East and Africa. "Greenwares" are also incorrect. Biodegradable plastic is not limited to plastic which complies with ASTM D6400 (or EN13432). Oxo-degradation is defined by CEN (the European Standards Organisation) in TR15351 as “degradation resulting from oxidative cleavage of macromolecules.” And oxo-biodegradation as “degradation resulting from oxidative and cell-mediated phenomena, either simultaneously or successively.”
Oxobiodegradable Plastic
KJ – for the difference between oxo-bio and compostable (hydro-bio) plastics see http://www.biodeg.org/advantages.htm. For plastic waste which escapes formalized collection we need oxo-bio plastic which self-destructs if it gets into the open environment. It can be re-used many times and if it does get collected during its useful life it can be recycled (www.biodeg.org/recycling.htm). If all plastic had been oxo-biodegradable there would be no North-Pacific garbage patch. We are talking here about industrial composting, which is an artificially accelerated process, and that is why it needs a 90 day time-limit. This is not necessary for oxobio. Leaves and twigs take 10 years or more to biodegrade, but oxobio will biodegrade much more quickly. It does not just fragment, and it does not contain heavy metals. Compostable plastic is not suitable for home composting. Compostable plastic will not readily degrade in the environment, so it is not much use if you are concerned about plastic waste in the open environment. Yes, oil is finite, but oxo-bio is made from a by-product, which used to be wasted, so nobody is importing extra oil to make it. Weight and space comparisons are not assumptions. It is undeniable that compostable plastics are thicker and heavier for the same strength, unless mixed with oil-based plastic. More trucks on the road and more diesel burned. A recent study in Germany http://www.kunststoffverpackungen.de/en/news/LCA%20waste%20bags%20-%20Study%20Extract%20B.pdf showed that oil-based plastic has a much better Life-cycle Assessment than compostable plastics. The “Biodegradable Plastics Institute” and “European Bioplastics” sound independent and official, but they are lobbyists for the compostable plastic manufacturers. The OPA does not deny that it represents the oxo-biodegradable industry, and spends most of its time responding to the increasingly desperate attacks of the compostable industry, who know that their product is hopelessly expensive and impractical. It is not even useful in compost, because ASTM D6400 requires rapid conversion to CO2 gas, so it contributes to climate-change but does not improve the soil.
Difference between Biodegradable and compostable
Biodegradation in the environment is NOT the same thing as composting. Composting is an artificial process operated according to a much shorter timescale than the processes of nature. Standards (such as ASTM D6400, EN13432, ISO 17088 and Australian Standard 4736-06) designed for compostable plastic should not therefore be used for plastic which is designed to self-destruct if it gets into the environment. Indeed EN13432 itself says that is not appropriate for waste which may end up in the environment through uncontrolled means. The appropriate standard for biodegradation in the environment is ASTM D6954 (see OPA reply to compostable plastics industry at www.biodeg.org) Composting of organic waste makes sense, but compostable plastic for shopping bags, food packaging, etc. does not. It is up to 400% more expensive than ordinary plastic; it is thicker and heavier and requires more trucks to transport it; recycling with oil-based plastics is impossible; it uses scarce land and water resources to produce the raw material, and substantial amounts of non-renewable hydro-carbons are burned and CO2 emitted, by the tractors and other machines employed. If buried in landfill, compostable plastic can emit methane (a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than CO2) in anaerobic conditions. Many industrial composters of organic waste around the world do not want plastic of any kind in their feedstock, because it is difficult to separate biodegradable plastic from ordinary plastic. Home composting of plastic should not be encouraged, as it will often be contaminated with food residues, and temperatures may not rise high enough to kill the pathogens. Compostable plastic is useless in compost because 90% of it has to convert to CO2 gas in order to comply with ASTM D6400 and the other composting Standards. It therefore contributes to greenhouse gases but not to the improvement of the soil.