Influence of Home Composting on Tensile Properties of Commercial Biodegradable Plastic Films

In recent years biodegradable plastic films have been increasingly used for various purposes, most often as grocery bags and for collecting bio-waste. Typically, the biodegradation of these films should take place in industrial compost facilities where the biodegradation process occurs under controlled conditions. Nevertheless, many of these films are often disposed of in home composting bins, so the aim of this study was to examine the course of biodegradation of compostable plastic films under uncontrolled conditions in garden composting sites during a period of four months. Mechanical properties were tested on seven different commercially available biodegradable films and bags that were placed in a garden composting bin from February to May. Both tensile properties and tensile-impact strength showed some unexpected results in terms of increase of the properties after the first, second, and third month for some films and bags. The same unpredictability was seen in FTIR and TG analyses.

Barriers and Enablers to Buying Biodegradable and Compostable Plastic Packaging

Biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging (BCPP) has the potential to reduce a global plastic waste problem. We aimed to identify influences on buying BCPP as a basis for designing strategies that enable BCPP’s environmental benefits. Using a UK-focused citizen science dataset, we thematically analysed 610 survey responses to a question exploring reasons for BCPP purchase. Themes are categorised as barriers and enablers and according to the components of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour. Key barriers concerned: psychological capability (not understanding terminology used to label packaging, not taking notice of packaging, and preferring other types of packaging and product qualities); reflective motivation (negative beliefs about BCPP’s environmental impacts and skepticism over decomposition claims), and physical opportunity (no access to appropriate waste management). Key enablers concern: reflective motivation (positive beliefs about BCPP’s environmental impact and resolve to behave pro-environmentally) and physical opportunity (access to appropriate waste management). Reducing ambiguity concerning the labels of biodegradable and compostable may reduce skepticism over environmental claims of packaging. Interventions should improve information about the source of the packaging material, how the packaging waste is processed, and how to dispose of the packaging. This will not be sufficient unless facilities for local BCPP waste collection and processing are increased.

Properties of the ETEE Compostable Plastic Wrap Substitute

Objectives As environmental concerns have risen, the demand for eco-friendly materials has increased as well. One such material is the ETEE wrap, a compostable plastic wrap substitute made from muslin cloth coated in tree resin and beeswax. This project determined if ETEEs compost in backyard-style compost pits, if detergent choice affects ETEE lifespan, and if temperature alters the rate of wax transfer from ETEEs to the product on which the ETEEs are placed. Methods ETEEs were produced with a coating containing UV dye fluorescent at 365 nm to measure wax loss. To test compostability, 2-inch squares were composted in 1.5 yd3 active compost, and samples were pulled weekly to be rinsed, weighed, and photographed under normal and UV light. ETEEs were washed methodically in standardized solutions of Dawn, EcoMax, or ETEE brand soap in equal amounts of cold water. Transfer of wax onto Styrofoam at 0, 23, and 40°C was analyzed. Transfer and washing ETEEs were analyzed by mass and photograph under normal and UV light. Results Full composting degradation was seen by 15 weeks, and changes in UV fluorescence color were evident as the beeswax broke down, suggesting the presence of bacteria for degradation. Marginal qualitative differences were observed between the different detergents, with the ETEE brand soap seeming the least harsh. Quantitatively (by mass), these observations were not statistically significant (F2,24 = 0.35, p > 0.05), which could be related to a small sample size. Photography under UV light showed more wax transfer from the ETEEs at 23°C than at 40 or 0°C. Conclusions ETEE wraps do compost in a backyard-style compost pit, and they may respond differently to various soaps and temperatures. This research supports the ETEE company pursuing compostability certification for their products. Funding Sources ETSU (CCRHS Undergraduate Research Fund), ETEE (Toronto, ON).