Composting of biodegradable polymers

Biodegradable packaging waste shall be of such a nature that it is capable of undergoing physical, chemical, thermal or biological decomposition sirch that most of the finished compost ultimatefy decomposes into carbon dioxide, biomass and water. 

In particular, the emphasis is given that recovery and recycling of packaging waste should be further increased to reduce its environmental impact 

3 Standards relating to specification for compostable plastics ASTMD6400[2] 

For a plastic to be claimed biodegradable imder composting conditions or compostable, it has to meet the Specifications Standards ASTM D 6400. This specification is intended to estabUsh the requirements for labelling of materials and products, including packaging made from plastics, as compostable in municipal and industrial composting faciUties . 

The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials. Further, the properties in the specification are required to assure that the degradation of these materials will not diminish the value or utility of the compost resulting from the composting process. 

---

In this standard, the compostability of biodegradable polymers is assessed by the following criteria, all of which must be satisfied. 

---