Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association - Environmental Protection through the degradation of plastic

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The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association exists to provide information to encourage greater understanding of oxo-biodegradable plastic technology and the role it can play in protecting the environment for future generations. Members are manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and commercial end-users of oxo-biodegradable plastic.

The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association is represented by its Chairman on the D20 (plastics) committee of the ASTM International and its subcommittees.

Plastic is a familiar component of modern living, used in all sorts of packaging and household and commercial applications. Whilst the benefits of low cost, light weight, strength, imperviousness to gas and water, transparency, sealability, and printability are highly regarded, the very strength and durability which makes plastic such a useful and economic material can be a major problem after the useful life of the product. Plastic waste can accumulate in the open environment for decades.

Science has now found the solution to this problem: Oxo-biodegradable plastic.

For general information see "The Relevance of Degradable Plastic"

Oxo-biodegradable plastic is conventional polyolefin plastic to which small amounts of salts have been added. These are NOT heavy metals. At the end of the useful life of the product these salts catalyse the natural degradation process in the presence of oxygen (i.e. NOT deep in landfill) to cause the molecular breakdown of the polyolefins. The process continues until it is no longer a plastic, and has become a biodegradable material.

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