Sustainable Solutions for Plastics
ASTM D5526
Standard Test Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation* of Plastic Materials Under Accelerated Landfill Conditions
Significance and Use (There is no known ISO equivalent to this standard)
Decomposition of a plastic within a landfill involves biological processes that will affect the decomposition of other materials enclosed by, or in close proximity to, the plastic. Rapid degradation of the plastic has the ability to increase the economic feasibility of landfill-gas recovery, minimize the duration of after-care of the landfill, and make possible the recovery of the volume reduction of the waste due to biodegradation during the active life of the landfill. This procedure has been developed to permit determination of the anaerobic biodegradability of plastic products when placed in biologically active environments simulating landfill conditions.
As degradation occurs inevitably in a landfill, it is of immediate concern that the plastic materials do not produce toxic metabolites or end products under the various conditions that have the potential to occur in a landfill. The mixtures remaining after completion of the test method, containing fully or partially degraded plastic materials or extracts, can be submitted subsequently to ecotoxicity testing in order to assess the environmental hazards posed by the breakdown of plastics to varying degrees in landfills. This test method has been designed to assess biodegradation under optimum and less-than-optimum conditions.
Limitations
Because a wide variation exists in the construction and operation of landfills, and because regulatory requirements for landfills vary greatly, this procedure is not intended to simulate the environment of all landfills. However, it is expected to closely resemble the environment of a biologically active landfill. More specifically, the procedure is intended to create a standard laboratory environment that permits rapid and reproducible determination of the anaerobic biodegradability under accelerated landfill conditions, while at the same time producing reproducible mixtures of fully and partially decomposed household waste with plastic materials for ecotoxicological assessment.
Claims of performance shall be limited to the numerical result obtained in the test and not be used for unqualified “biodegradable” claims. Reports shall clearly state the percentage of net gaseous carbon generation for both the test and reference samples at the completion of the test. Furthermore, results shall not be extrapolated past the actual duration of the test.
* Biodegradation rates of EcoPure®-treated plastic materials are measured according to various ASTM test methods specific to certain biologically-active environments. Actual biodegradation rates may vary in the specific biologically-active environments according to the type and characteristics of plastic used, the product configuration, and/or the solid content, temperature and moisture levels of the biologically-active environment. Claims of performance shall be limited to the numerical result obtained in the test and not be used for unqualified “biodegradable” claims. Testing reports shall clearly state the percentage of net gaseous carbon generation for both the test and reference samples at the completion of the test. Furthermore, results shall not be extrapolated past the actual duration of the test.
California Regulation 42355
Regulation 42355 in California currently prohibits the sale of plastic products and packaging that are labeled with the terms ‘biodegradable,’ ‘degradable,’ decomposable,’ or any form of those terms. The law also prohibits language that implies in any way that the item will break down, biodegrade or decompose in a landfill or other environment. These restrictions apply to all sales within or into the State of California, including sales over the Internet.
Maryland Environmental Code § 9-2101
Maryland Environmental Code currently prohibits the sale of plastic products and packaging that are labeled with the terms ‘biodegradable,’ ‘degradable,’ decomposable,’ or any form of those terms. The law also prohibits language that implies in any way that the item will break down, biodegrade or decompose in a landfill or other environment. These restrictions apply to all sales within or into the State of Maryland, including sales over the Internet.