Abstract
According to Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019, single-use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers will be banned in the member states of EU from summer 2021 onwards. Many of them are being replaced by compostable products. The aim of the research was to assess the biological disintegration of selected single-use products under real conditions of urban composting facility. All tested products are established for the Slovak market as 100 % compostable by a composting facility. The eight selected products from five different producers were placed into a composting pile of the urban composting facility for 12 weeks. The samples were visually inspected on a regular basis. Temperature and humidity of the pile were continuously measured at the same time. Three samples from each kind of tested product were analyzed, 3 pieces of filter paper were used as the reference samples. The research showed that all tested products were completely or partially disintegrated during the considered period. The average degree of the disintegration of 90% was not reached for one producer only.
Highlights
Plastics have become an indispensable commodity in today’s life due to their wide range of applications, in packaging [Groh et al, 2019]
The new circular economy action plan adopted in March 2020 [EC, 2020], commits the European Commission to develop a policy framework on the sourcing, labelling and use of biobased plastics and on the use of biodegradable or compostable plastics, including their labelling
The results show that the certificated compostable substitutes for disposable plastics available on the market do not always demonstrate the compostability required for composting under real conditions of the urban composting facility
Summary
Plastics have become an indispensable commodity in today’s life due to their wide range of applications, in packaging [Groh et al, 2019]. The announcement of plastic pollution as a worldwide crisis by the United Nations in 2017 [UNEP, 2017] has made several businesses establishments to adjust their corporate strategies, preparing for an accelerated transition to a circular economy. It includes the materials made from renewable feedstocks, the materials supposed to degrade naturally (biodegradable), or both. It is currently unclear whether the plant-based materials which are often blended with synthetic materials (e.g., cellulose, and bamboo-based materials) fall under that category. Either way, they are produced to fulfil the same function as plastic materials and appear as such to the consumer [Zimmermann et al, 2020]. The new circular economy action plan adopted in March 2020 [EC, 2020], commits the European Commission to develop a policy framework on the sourcing, labelling and use of biobased plastics and on the use of biodegradable or compostable plastics, including their labelling
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
