PLASTICS, DESIGN & MOULDING
PLASTIC AWARE
SYMPHONY
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT
OXO-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS
1 - THEY DON’T JUST
FRAGMENT INTO HARMFUL
MICROPLASTICS
One long-perpetuated myth is that oxo-
biodegradable plastics break down into
smaller plastic fragments which are still
harmful to the natural environment. While
microbeads and microplastics are a real
issue, they are not the end-product of oxo-
biodegradation. d2w rapidly accelerates the
degradation process beyond microplastics,
the molecular weight decreases to a point
where it is no longer a plastic and is available
as a food source to microorganisms in the
environment, in the same way as nature’s
waste. This leaves behind a substance called
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PECM Issue 38
humus (not the chickpea dip, but the organic
material found in soil).
2 - REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
STILL APPLIES
It’s a noble attempt to try and eradicate
plastic waste from the natural environment
– and reducing, reusing and recycling is a
very simple and effective step towards this.
But let’s be realistic – some plastic is always
going to escape the process and end up
in our oceans. We need a strategy for this
eventuality and oxo-biodegradable plastics
could be a piece of the puzzle. Plastics that
escape into the natural environment that
would otherwise linger and cause harm to
wildlife can instead be reduced to a small
amount of harmless organic matter.
Oxo-biodegradable products are designed
to be reused. With oxo-biodegradable
technology, the plastic will only start
degrading when exposed in the environment
as litter, meaning you can reuse your plastic
bags several times.
Finally, d2w does not affect recyclability,
in fact more than 500,000 tonnes of oxo-
biodegradable plastic has been recycled
in the last 5 years[1]. So please dispose of
your oxo-biodegradable plastic products
responsibly and recycle with your other
plastic products.