Daily Mirror
Date : 20-05-2008
Compostable and biodegradable ‘NaturPlus’ bag from Plastic Pakaging (Pvt) Ltd.
Plastic Pakaging (Pte) Ltd which introduced oxo-biodegradable bags a few years ago, has carried trial production and testing during the past few years to manufacture a bag without polythene – the main ingredient that has become a global menace in terms of environmental pollution.
After years of hard work the company has finally found the material that can be used to manufacture such a landmark bag. This bag is compostable and bio-degradable within a short period of time.
Plastic Pakaging (Pvt) Ltd Chief Mervyn Dias told Daily Mirror Life that trials had already been completed and the bag would be launched soon.
Mr. Dias is in the process of promoting this bag (NaturPlus) to the export market but he said he would be glad to supply them to the local market too if there was a request.
“There is a huge demand for such environmental-friendly bags in Britain and several other countries,” said Mr. Dias who said he had received export orders for these bags from Britain.
Why is such a bag important?
About 230 million tones of garbage is generated annually worldwide and this has created a huge problem of disposal as most of these are not compostable, biodegradable and the waste contain non-biodegradable plastics like plastics bags, bottles and tin cans. This special bag gives the people an option to choose a biodegradable plastic solution, he said.
Actually non-bio-degradable products cannot be disposed to land filling as they will only pollute the soil and remain in the soil for thousands of years. Also it is obvious that all plastics cannot be separated and recycled due to practical problems. Therefore the best and only solution is composting. This new bag has answers to the burning problem of the world.
What do you mean when you say the bag is compostable?
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting refers to refers to a solid waste management technique which uses natural processes to convert organic materials to humus through the action microorganisms. Compost is s mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land. These bags will undergo biological decomposition in a compost site, that is not visually distinguishable and breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable material like cellulose leaving no toxic residue.
There are three criterions that have been listed for the bag to be compostable.
1. Biodegrade – break down into carbon dioxide, water, biomass at the same rate as cellulose (paper)
2. Disintegrate – the material is indistinguishable in the compost, that it is not visible.
3. Eco-toxicity – the biodegradation does not produce any toxic material and compost can support plant growth.
What benefits do you get from the compostable bag?
As it is compostable, it will help to regenerate poor soils and help clean up contaminated soil. Composting helps the prevention of pollution as it is not necessary to divert these for land filling. Using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides. It also serves as a marketable commodity.
What are compostable bags?
These are bags that break down in a composting environment by natural means, back into simple elements carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Compostable products comply with the European standards EN 13432 which was introduced in 2000. This ensures that 90% of the product is composted with a period of 12 weeks and that the resulting humus created during the composting process is of good quality.
These bags are shelf stable, just like paper plates or paper towels. There are no chemical additives to enhance decomposition. The bags biodegrade naturally when exposed to the earth’s elements and micro-organisms in the soil.
These bags ‘breathe’, which allows heat and moisture to escape or evaporate. This feature reduces bacterial build-up of collected waste, thus reducing odour.
These bags will decompose in a composting environment in 10 to 45 days, leaving no harmful residues.
These bags will decompose in a natural setting at an extended rate compared to other naturally biodegradable material like paper, leaves or food waste, said Mervyn Dias who could be contacted on 0777 396679 or email ppp@eureka.lk for further information.