Degradable plastic bags break down but still pose environmental concerns
APR 25, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025249
Nature : Adding iron or cobalt to polyethylene boosts the ubiquitous plastic’s propensity to oxidize in sunlight. Bags made from degradable polyethylene duly fall apart, but whether the fragments that remain are environmentally friendly has been an open question. Now, as Nature‘s Daniel Cressey reports, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has found that the fragments persist for much longer than the 2–5 years it takes for a bag exposed to the elements to break apart. According to DEFRA, the fragments should not be included in compost lest they ruin it.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
