Compostable packaging products break down in less than 22 days

A recent study by Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Netherlands, analyzed the fate of compostable packaging products in a full- scale industrial organic waste treatment plant. The results show that the tested EN13432 certified products break down within a maximum of 22 days. The project was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK). “The study shows that the tested objects have the same disintegration and degradation rate as regular biowaste or are even faster. We need more research of this kind, conducted by independent and renowned institutions”, says François de Bie, chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP). The central aim of the study was to gather more empiric data on the question of whether the disintegration rate of compostable products is sufficient to be compatible with the current organic waste treatment practices. In an industrial organic waste treatment trial, a set of nine different compostable plastic products, consisting of organic waste collection bags, plant pots, tea bags, coffee pads, coffee capsules, and fruit labels, were tested. “We studied how compostable plastics…

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