What is a biodegradable plastic?
Degradable plastics refer to plastics that can meet the performance requirements of their products, and their performance remains unchanged during the service life, and can be degraded into environmentally harmless substances under natural environmental conditions after use.
Classification of degradable plastics:
Bioplastics: Made partially or entirely from bio-derived polymers, which can be derived from plants or combined with synthetic polymers. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable.
Oxidative degradable plastics: Conventional plastics are added with additives that promote decomposition.
Photobiodegradable plastics: react to ultraviolet rays and need to be oxidized and degraded first.
Aquabiodegradable plastics: Made from plants** (e.g. starch), degradation initiated by hydrolysis.
Can degradable plastics be completely degraded?
The biodegradable plastics we speak of in our life refer to those that can be completely degraded into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic salts and new biomass with the participation of microorganisms in nature. This is also the reason why everyone thinks that biodegradable plastics are more environmentally friendly. According to the different plastic raw materials, biodegradable plastics can be divided into:"Bio-based biodegradable plastics"with"Fossil-based biodegradable plastics"。
Whether it is bioplastic or fossil-based degradable plastic, these plastics are not like fallen leaves, which can be completely degraded if thrown on the ground. When these plastics decompose in the ocean, the water temperature is too low, preventing the degradation of biodegradable plastics, causing these plastics to float on the surface of the water like traditional plastics. If these plastics begin to decompose in the ocean, the tiny pieces of plastic they break down into can be harmful to marine life. In addition, biodegradable plastics produce the greenhouse gas methane during the decomposition process, which contributes to global warming, and requires UV exposure or high temperatures to decompose, and even under these conditions, it can take years to decompose, leaving behind debris and toxic residues.
What is the final treatment method for degrading plastics
Biodegradable plastics can be degraded or reused in a variety of environments, but the best is to compost them at high temperatures to make them completely degraded in a short time. According to this idea, biodegradable plastic waste should be disposed of in food waste bins or wet bins and then sent to industrial composting facilities.
The premise of achieving this is that it must be accurately sorted, and doing a good job in garbage classification is not only the reuse of plastic waste, but also a strong support for environmental protection and sustainable development. They help reduce the need to produce new plastics, reduce dependence on finite resources, and reduce the negative impact of plastic waste on the planet.