Tuesday 3 December 2019

Compostable Material




I'm starting an experiment today.

The question was posed: Are the claims of degradation of plastic alternatives justified?  Do they biodegrade as efficiently as they claim?


Today this bag has gone into my compost dalek, along with the usual kitchen vegetable waste.  I will leave all alone for three months when I will make my first check on progress. 

A few notes:

This was promoted as a people's science experiment but after volunteering I have heard nothing further from the organisers, so I am doing this off my own bat.

Biodegradability is different from home compostability and isn't on its own a cure for all aspects of the recycling problem - see the thought provoking article here  

I have been caught out before, most notably with teabags, which it turns out have a plastic element (glue?) to them.  Worse still the seemingly "paper" sachets some come in turn out to be plasticised and turn up years later when harvesting potatoes. 







5 comments:

  1. Dalek? Had to look that one up. Good description.

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    1. Sorry for the UK specific colloquialism. Post Star Wars they might translate as R2D2s?

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    2. Oh, don't be sorry. I'm learning a lot of new words. I like that. I have an R2D2 in the closet from when my sons were boys. It would go pick up the newspaper and bring it to us.

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  2. It will be interesting to see what happens. Aren’t some made with potato starch?

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