In the open environment, TDPA™ plastic first undergo oxidative degradation forming short fragments, which can be consumed and bio-assimilated by micro-organisms. This allows TDPA™ plastic to be ultimately returned to nature in the form of biomass.
FAQ Category: Disposal of Plastics
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A proportion of all plastics will escape into the open environment, where TDPA™ plastic will degrade and biodegrade much more rapidly than conventional plastics (which will demonstrate only negligible biodegradability), thereby helping to reduce plastic waste.
Compostable plastics are degradable under industrial composting conditions, which offer controlled temperature, oxygen and humidity conditions – notably, these are not attainable under home composting conditions. Requirements by composting standards for 90% biodegradation within 6 months only pertain to industrial composting conditions, and compostable plastics will not biodegrade to the […]
TDPA™ plastics can be incinerated for energy recovery in the same way as conventional plastic. However, EPI recommends that, where possible, TDPA™ plastic products be re-used and re-cycled to minimise their environmental impact.
TDPA™ plastics are recyclable in conventional recycling streams, without needing segregation from conventional plastics. Independent scientific analysis commissioned by the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ, a government agency of the Province of Quebec, Canada) concluded that TDPA™ plastics are compatible with conventional plastic recycling streams, at mixture levels […]
TDPA™ plastics require oxygen, moisture and the presence of micro-organisms to biodegrade. These requirements are not present in industrial compositing conditions and consequently, TDPA™ plastics do not meet the requirement of 90% biodegradability in 6 months in an industrial composting facility specified by composting standards. TDPA™ plastics should not be marketed as […]
TDPA™ plastics are not compostable and do not degrade if composted. They should not be disposed in a compost bin.
Compostable plastics are generally starch-based materials that are considerably more expensive than conventional plastics, while intrinsically being weaker due to their chemical properties. Moreover, compostable standards only relate to the degradation of compostable plastics under industrial composting conditions; under home composting conditions or the open environment, their degradability is considerably […]