FRIDAY 26 TH JUNE 2015
. The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (OPA) The OPA is a not-for-profit organisation, registered with the European Parliament (18693701 1291-26). It exists to provide information to encourage greater understanding of oxo- biodegradable plastic technology and how it can protect the environment for future generations. The Association has 1,599 members around the world, who are manufacturers, importers, exporters and commercial end-users of oxo-biodegradable plastic.
Plastic is fantastic All around the world people are using plastic because it is the cheapest and most versatile way to protect food and other goods from contamination and damage. Its advantages are: Lightweight Flexible Impervious to moisture Printable Strong Safe for food contact Recyclable Reusable Durable
But…………………………… there is a problem
Plastic is attacked for 2 mistaken reasons: 1. It is made from oil – which is a finite natural resource. Mistaken because plastic is made from a by-product of refining oil for petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. The same amount of oil would be extracted from the ground if plastic did not exist. 2. Plastic can lie or float around for decades if it gets into the open environment Mistaken because plastic can now be made oxo-biodegradable.
Oxo-biodegradable plastic offers a solution Oxo- biodegradable plastic was invented by Professor Gerald Scott in Britain in the 1970’s. He designed the plastic so that the bag will be fit for purpose for its predetermined service-life. BUT the additive in oxo-biodegradable plastic then causes the plastic to degrade in the open environment on land or sea by a process of oxidation. At the end of this process the material is no longer a plastic and has become biodegradable in the same way as a leaf, but in a much shorter timescale than ordinary plastic. In Africa, with intense sunlight and high temperatures degradation will be rapid, even if the item is in the shade. Once the molecular weight has been reduced by oxidation the material becomes a food source for fungi and bacteria. No fragments of plastic and no eco-toxicity.
Banning and taxing plastic bags is not a good idea: Recently in the US, plastic bag bans have been rejected in Arizona, Texas, Connecticut, New York and Huntington Beach, California. Bans lead to a significant increase in the amount of plastic used to manage household waste, as consumers are forced to substitute heavier, more expensive, plastic bags to collect rubbish. Bans cause significant issues for food safety ,as no other material can protect food and water as plastic does (water pouches, bread, meat, fish preservation ) Re-usable bags have serious environmental problems, including the fact that they are much heavier, and often end up in landfill. There is also research showing that they are a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria, as people do not wash the inside of the bags. Canvas bags made from pesticide-intensive cotton production have to be reused 131 times to equal the environmental impact of a conventional plastic bag used once. They are also breeding-grounds for bacteria. Paper bags and vegetable-based plastic bags have a much higher environmental impact when energy, land use, fertilizers, water and emissions are taken in account.
Life Cycle Assessment cradle to cradle A Life Cycle Assessment carried out by Intertek into conventional, compostable, and oxo-biodegradable shopper-bags in May 2012 concluded the following: • The oxo-bio bag performed 75% better than the conventional bag in the litter category. • The bio-based bag had the worst performance in 10 of the 11 environmental impact categories. • The impact of oxo-bio plastics in landfill is the same as conventional plastics, with no anaerobic degradation and no emission of methane. The report further confirmed that bio-based bags emit methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in landfill. • Bio-based plastic cannot be recycled with conventional plastic as part of a post- consumer waste stream without compromising the recycling process.
Recycling Roediger reports dated May 2012 and December 2013 confirm that plastic products made with oxo- biodegradable technology may be recycled together with conventional oil-based polymers without any significant detriment to the newly formed recycled product. Separate collection is not therefore necessary.
Waste to energy is a good idea
BUT, we cannot collect it all We could and should recycle or incinerate with energy recovery, but we cannot collect it all. Conventional plastic can last for decades, so a lot of waste plastic ends up in the open environment on land and sea. Causing a visual intrusion, blocking drains and water courses and endangering wildlife.
Certification and Standards Degradability is tested by independent laboratories according to ASTM standard D6954, and British Standard 8472. Biodegradability is tested by independent laboratories to ASTM D6954, British Standard 8472 and AFNOR AC T 51- 808 (France) Non-Ecotoxic - tested according to OECD 201 on Algae, 202 on Daphnia, 203 on Fish, 207 on Earthworms, and 208 on Seedlings No heavy-metals or restricted chemicals according to EU Directive on Packaging Waste Certified by the Oxo- biodegradable Plastic Association (“OPA”) – www.biodeg.org
Laboratory Tests Performance evaluation for quality control To determine the amount of the pro- degradant catalyst in the finished products to test that product will perform as expected Accelerated aging by forced convection heat. (ASTM-D5510-01 ) Accelerated degradation and stability tests to establish Accelerated aging by UV • Shelf life stability in storage conditions radiation. (ASTM 5208) • Degradation in the environment FTIR and ATR-FTIR. (ASTM D5576) To assess degradation
Oxo-biodegradability verified in accordance with AFNOR T51-808 Oxo-biodegradable plastic has been tested by CNEP (Centre National d’Evaluation de Photoprotection) which is an independent laboratory at the University Blaise Pascal in France.
Landfill Plastic is a valuable resource which should: • not be sent to landfill • should either be recycled • or incinerated for energy recovery. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is designed to biodegrade in the open environment - But if sent to landfill it will not emit methane, which is a dangerous greenhouse gas. It will not cause harmful leachate, as it is not eco-toxic.
Carbon value When oxo-biodegradable plastic biodegrades most of the carbon will be sequestered by plants and other living organisms and is thus recycled into the eco-system. 1 The result is an increase in biomass, which is a benefit to the general eco-system. By contrast, biodegradable plastics derived from vegetable matter will convert their entire carbon content very quickly during industrial composting into carbon dioxide gas, which is emitted to atmosphere. 2 1 AFNOR Accord 51-808 ADP/ATP methodology – consumption of degraded oxo’ material by living organisms 2. EN13432 and ASTM D6400 Compostable Standards require 90% carbon evolution to CO 2 in 180 days.
Keeping the plastic, but disposing of the environmental baggage 19 countries, with a combined population of over half a billion (506,417,000) have realised that they cannot collect all the waste plastic, and that some of it will escape into the open environment, from which it cannot realistically be collected. They have therefore passed legislation to make biodegradable plastic mandatory. The first country was the UAE. Their government wanted to be sure that oxo-biodegradable plastic would perform as claimed, so they sent experts to England to audit the technology and the manufacturing process. They were satisfied that oxo-biodegradable plastic performed as specified and in October 2009 they enacted the law.
Législation in eight African countries Togo Cote d’Ivoire Mali Maroc Congo RDC Burkina Faso Mauritania Cameroon Gabon
Nine other countries (not in Africa) • Albania • Brazil (parts) • Iran • Jordan • Kosovo • Mauritius • Pakistan (parts) • UAE • Yemen
Plastics factories and commercial companies cannot export to these 17 countries unless their disposable plastic goods and packaging are biodegradable.
UEOMA Hopefully UEOMA will encourage all its member-states to require oxo-biodegradability of all short-life plastic products made in or imported into their countries.
How to ensure quality and authenticity • Customers and Governments need to know whether oxo-biodegradable plastic is what it claims to be. • Using a portable Detector they can find out in less than 60 seconds. • The Detector is a sophisticated FTIR device which can be used almost anywhere. • There is no similar way of testing bio- based plastics .
OPA Certification • That the oxo-biodegradable additive performs as claimed. • That products made with the additive can be recycled with other oil-based plastics. • That the additive does not contain any of the restricted (heavy) metals.
OPA Member awarded Eco-Label The d 2 w additive produced by Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc is the first and only additive to be awarded an eco-label. The Eco-Label confirms the environmental credentials of the additive and distinguishes it from other oxo-biodegradable products on the market.
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