Oxo-biodegradable polyolefins in packaging

Used plastic shopping bags and the disposal of them have become issues of major concern to regulators and legislators in several parts of the world. Statements have been made to the effect that plastics comprise 25% of 

Environmental burden Polyethylene Unbleached kraft paper Paper combinations  

Reprinted from ref. 1 with kind permission of Kluwer Academic Publishers and Professor James Guillet. 

It seemed, more than ten years ago, that it was time to add one more characteristic to the list of desirable properties for plastics that usually have a service life of 18 months or less. The concept is ttiat of controlled-Ufetime plastics that have a designed shelf-life/use life combination but that degrade chemically and mechanically far more rapidly than normal in whatever disposal environment they are placed, intentionally or inadvertently. When implemented correctly, this concept can alleviate die problems of the accumulation of discarded plastics in landfills as well as plastics litter accumulation. 

It is well known that as-produced, commercial polyolefins are bioinert. It was demonstrated unequivocally during the 1990s, however, that the oxidation products of polyolefins are biodegradable (see Ch. 3, section 3.5). The characteristics of specific products made from oxo-biodegradable polyolefins are the focus of the remainder of this chapter. 

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Many types of post-consumer plastic packaging that are not recovered by recycling are disposed of in landfills. There are many environmental advantages (see section 3.7) to be achieved by using oxo-biodegradable polyolefins in these applications but safety considerations are equally important. Keller Heckman (the US/Intemational specialist law firm) conducted the certification and validation work for TDPA formulations required by the US Food and Drug Administration. Most TDPA formulations have been cleared for use in any type of food packaging, for any type of food. Likewise, TDPA formulations are considered safe by the SCF (Scientific Committee for Food) of the European Union. 

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