This news could be a game changer here, either Europe choose to ban all plastic and change to biodegradable for recycling purposes or stay with what they have.
PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT
Biodegradable bags a threat to the environment, says PRE / Problems in the waste stream
As the European Parliament (EP) gears up for another debate on plastic carrier bags, Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsrecyclers.eu) contends that the blend of renewable and conventional plastics in the bags is posing problems for recyclers. As little as 2% degradable material in the recycling stream can cause quality problems, PRE president Ton Emans asserted at a recent workshop. “Our future in Europe is about developing quality plastics recyclate for producing new goods and not about misleading the consumer about biodegradability and/or compostability,” he added.
Emans pointed to a 2013 study by European Plastic Converters (EuPC, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsconverters.eu), in which industrial-scale tests were conducted on PE film produced from recyclate. The tests, he said, demonstrated the problems that can occur if degradable plastics are in the waste stream – see PIWeb of 13.09.2013.
Separately, plastics expert Professor Richard Thomson told a public hearing organised by The Greens / European Free Alliance Party in the EP that biodegradable plastic bags “are a myth.” Other panel speakers noted that degradable material must degrade within a certain amount of time, meaning that the material will be a threat during this period.
PRE called on the EP’s environment committee to change its strategy, as biodegradable bags “are not a solution.”
Published on 24.02.2014
