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Is Biodegradable Plastic Really a Thing? Technically, it exists. But here’s what to think about when shopping. (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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But there’s a big catch: Just because your plastic fork, cup or doggy poop bag is marketed as biodegradable, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll break down in the environment. The same goes for so-called compostable plastic.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I am suspicious. I feel like if this plastic cup I got was exposed to exactly its favorite conditions (which are conveniently difficult to achieve), it still wouldn’t biodegrade (or, worse, would disintegrate into a little pile of microplastics while the manufacturer declared that that meant it was biodegrading).

I have no expertise at all and I’m basically talking purely out of my ass, so maybe I shouldn’t offer any opinion. But the history of plastic recycling makes me cynical about it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Definitely a lot of reasons to be cynical, and I can't say for sure what your cup was made of, but some of the more common ones (PBS, PLA) simply won't break down in home composting, but do in fact break down in industrial composting facilities where the temperature is above 50°C

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Yeah, fair enough. Like I say, I don't really know.