There are three types of non-biodegradable methods on the market, including photodegradable plastics, disintegrating plastics, and oxidatively biodegradable plastics, which will shed small fragments after decomposition. However, these are not biodegradable plastics. Not compostable plastic.
photodegradable plastic
Refers to the traditional plastic materials (PS, PP, PE, PVC, etc.), with the addition of a photosensitizer, the use of ultraviolet radiation energy to cause a chain reaction of polymer chain scission, prompting the plastic to crack, and the appearance will be split due to sunlight, but eventually, small fragments will remain.
disintegrating plastic
This refers to the traditional plastic components mixed with starch, which will induce microorganisms in the environment to devour and disintegrate starch, but the plastic components will still be broken into pieces and will not decompose.
Oxidized Biodegradable Plastics
In traditional plastic materials, oxidizing additives are added, which gradually decompose after exposure to oxygen and sunlight. In the end, they are only broken into very small particles that can be absorbed by organisms, and will not disappear.
These 3 kinds of plastics are only the materials of traditional plastics added with other substances. Although they will shatter, they will not decompose and cannot be composted. The plastic fragments remaining after shattering have the same physical properties as non-decomposable plastics, which may easily cause misunderstandings by users. Because of its "decomposition", it encourages discarding everywhere, causing environmental pollution. "Just like traditional plastics can be added with other substances, biodegradable plastics may also have additives. "So biodegradable plastics do not necessarily mean that they can be composted, and they have to undergo testing conditions such as decomposition rate, disintegration degree, phytotoxicity, and heavy metals. It can be called compostable plastic.
Data reference source:
1. Social enterprise insights https://www.seinsights.asia/article/3291/3270/6736
