Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys Compostable/biodegradable (1) plastic packaging can be found in grocery, convenience, and fast food stores in the USA, Canada, and Europe (see Post 5 in this series for an excellent example). Nevertheless, broad acceptance of biodegradable/compostable plastics in the gargantuan food packaging market has been slow to develop and ... [Click to Continue...]

In the last post Dr. Bob Humphreys talked about what makes a polymer compostable. I was at a meeting at a local conference center here in Orange County, CA and I noticed the coffee cups. The cup is shown in the picture. I found some of the labeling interesting. Notice the label states “industrially compostable” which is the proper labeling as we learned from Bob’s post. The ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys A polymer or plastic must be biodegradable to be compostable. The reverse is not necessarily true, that is, a polymer might be biodegradable without being compostable. While this may seem inconsistent, biodegradation can occur under a variety of conditions and over a long time frame (up to years or even decades), possibly assisted by ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys One option for disposal of plastic packaging is composting, either in “backyard” or industrial-scale facilities. However, as we have stated in previous posts in this series, there are many problems that must be solved to make composting a viable option for even a small percentage of plastic packaging. There is enough confusion about ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys A material that is “biodegradable” will degrade partially or completely in the environment under the action of biological organisms to produce benign products such as carbon dioxide, water, simple inorganic salts, and, possibly, residual biomass. Depending on the chemical structure of the material, the biodegradation process can be ... [Click to Continue...]