2008-07-14 Biodegradable cups at Chubby's Tacos.jpg

Compostable plastic is made from organic materials such as cornstarch and can be composted with no harmful impact to the soil or wider environment.[verification needed]

By breaking down, it:

Biodegradable versus compostable[edit | edit source]

Some plastics may biodegrade to small fragments of petrochemical-based plastic, reducing but not eliminating their negative impact on the environment.[verification needed]

True compostable materials break down completely into the kinds of materials typically found in compost.

Standards[edit | edit source]

ASTM International,W an international standards organization, defines testing methods for biodegradable plastic, in anaerobic and aerobic conditions and marine environments..[1] There are three ASTM standard specifications addressing biodegradable plastics in composting environments:

  • ASTM D6400-04 Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics,[2]
  • ASTM D6868 - 03 Standard Specification for Biodegradable Plastics Used as Coatings on Paper and Other Compostable Substrates,[3]
  • ASTM D7081 - 05 Standard Specification for Non-Floating Biodegradable Plastics in the Marine Environment.[4]

Notes and references[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Keywords composting, plastic
SDG SDG12 Responsible consumption and production
Authors Chris Watkins
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 4 pages link here
Impact 689 page views
Created March 30, 2011 by Chris Watkins
Modified October 23, 2023 by Maintenance script
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