According to CBC News, the UN, as part of its United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), has published a report on biodegradable plastic.
A special type of plastic - biodegradable (biodegradable) - was created in order to minimize the amount of garbage from discarded plastic. However, its peculiarity is such that the process of destruction of some of the polymers that make up its composition begins only with prolonged exposure to temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius. Under normal conditions - for example, while this plastic garbage is in landfills - it usually does not have time to decompose, and if it enters the ocean, the prospects for the destruction of biodegradable plastic become very remote.
Peter Kershaw, one of the authors of the UNEP report on biodegradable plastic: “When it enters the ocean, the level of degradation becomes even lower [than on land], since exposure to ultraviolet rays is very limited. It's cold and there's little oxygen. Once in the sea, the plastic stays there for an incredibly long period of time.” For some types of biodegradable plastic, this period is 2 to 3 years. Moreover, the more plastic accumulates in the sea, the worse these processes go.
Another problem with biodegradable plastic is that it cannot be recycled, as is the case with some (dense) varieties of conventional plastic. This is due to the fact that if biodegradable and conventional plastic are mixed, the properties of conventional plastic will be lost. Finally, even when biodegradable plastic breaks down, its fragments - microplastics - can still threaten the life of the inhabitants of the ocean.
The UNEP report from the United Nations concludes disappointingly that biodegradable plastic does not play a significant role in reducing marine litter. Unfortunately, other researchers have repeatedly come to a similar conclusion - for example, they correspond to the results of the research work of chemists published under the title "Evaluation of Biodegradation-Promoting Additives for Plastics" in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology in March this year.
The entire UNEP PDF document in English can be downloaded from the UN Program website .
See also anekdotig:
- News: " By 2050, over 99% of seabirds will eat plastic " (September 1, 2015)
- Newsletter: " Scientists prove for the first time that zooplankton eat microplastics found in the ocean " (July 27, 2015)
- Article: " Ocean garbage islands - a new heritage of civilization ."
- Video: Why is plastic marine litter so common? - informative short film .
- Video: " Plastic bottles and ocean pollution ".
- Advice: " Write to product manufacturers to stop plastic packaging " (July 27, 2015)