The role of photodegradable plastics in packaging

Garbage can be defined as the discarded solid-waste products of household or industry which are collected and disposed of in some central facility such as a dump, landfill, or incinerator. Litter, on the other hand, may be defined as a synthetic object in a place where it should not be. For example, a fallen tree in the forest is not litter, but a discarded wooden box made from the same material in the same place is. Paper in a rubbish bin is not litter. The same piece of paper blowing along the side of a road definitely is. Surveys of litter show that by far the greatest proportion consists of containers or packages of various kinds used for food, beverages or tobacco. 

Plastics have one major advantage over glass and metal in packaging applications in that they are inherently organic materials, just like banana skins and 

Considering these principles, it is possible to draw up a list of the desirable characteristics for a packaging material [1]. 

It must be resistant to the material which it is to contain and not contribute to the taste, odour, or toxicity, particularly if it is a food product. 

It must be light in weight and easily formable into an attractive package. 

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