Comment on Is Biodegradable Plastic Really a Thing? Technically, it exists. But here’s what to think about when shopping.

• QualifiedKitten@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I have some supposedly compostable bags, but I can’t seem to find anything on the package that tells me what type they are. Any clue how I might figure that out?

  Looks like they’ve changed the packaging since I last ordered, but here’s one: www.amazon.com/dp/B08JHR635J

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  • silence7@slrpnk.net ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Per the packaging:

    plant starches

    And they list a bunch of compostability certifications which suggest that this is ok in home compost piles, which makes it likely to be true if they actually have those certifications.

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• mozz@mbin.grits.dev ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  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.

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  • silence7@slrpnk.net ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    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

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    • mozz@mbin.grits.dev ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

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

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