The field study concluded that compostable bags, certified according to the European standard EN 13432, do not pose any challenges to the quality of the compost.
During the research project, the results of which were published in the May edition (05/2020, in German) of the German trade magazine „Müll und Abfall“, the scientists analysed a total of 30 samples and in 25 of them no residues from compostable bags were detected.
However, 98 percent of the plastic particles that were found derived from PE or other conventional plastics.
The study adds very important data to a discussion which, so far, has almost exclusively been conducted emotionally and in absence of any scientific facts.
Since many years, industry representatives, such as the German industry association Verbund kompostierbarer Produkte, state that compostable biowaste bags are not the problem but can be part of the solution: “The study results once again prove that the use of biopolymers doesn’t negatively affect the compost. On the contrary, they provide the consumers with hygienic and high-quality solutions for the separate collection of biowaste”, says Peter Brunk, Chairman of Verbund.
The study also showed the importance of a mandatory certification for the acceptance to use compostable biowaste bags.
In order to ensure a high-quality compost, biowaste bags made from paper, whether including a coating or not, should also need to pass a certification process.
Protocol to the Study
To avoid being lost in translation, European Bioplastics prepared a 5-year plan to understand the impact of this study. It’s a necessary protocol to understand the text. Here’s the plan as suggested by European Bioplastics:
In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.
The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
European Bioplastics will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou” and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali *** tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like European Bioplastics vunted in ze forst plas!
Sorry, I couldn’t let it! This part was meant as a joke. Here’s the link to the study
Link to the study
Kunststoffe im Kompost – Praxisversuche zur Bestimmung der Polymerzugehörigkeit
Refs
Study shows: compostable biowaste bags do not pose problem to quality of compost
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