By Cameron Chai
Bioplastics manufacturer, BASF has recently developed waste bin liners made from biodegradable plastic Ecovio FS. Though food leftovers are a great source of organic waste, collecting such waste is a tedious process. While regular plastics leave an unpleasant smell due to rotten food, paper bags become wet and start tearing, as the waste inside is wet and leaking.
Biodegradable plastic passes the test under real-world conditions
The most common alternative in such cases is to use plastic bin liners, which do not contribute to environmental preservation. In order to solve this issue BASF has come out with waste bin liners made from Ecovio FS, which are resistant to tear and are waterproof.
Before these bags could be made ready for commercial production, the company tested them in laboratories in Germany, Australia and Canada and also tested them in real time in Germany during the period of April to June 2011. For testing purposes, around 65,000 households were provided with Ecovio FS bin liners and a consultancy named IBK Solutions was appointed to analyse the compost waste. After the test period it was found that the new bin liners were greatly welcomed by users and they biodegraded within a period of three weeks. The reason for the success of the test is the composition of the bin liners, which are made through a combination of polyactic acid and a compostable plastic Ecoflex FS. This composition can be used in other applications such as paper cups, drinking bottles and shopping bags. This composition can also be used in agricultural applications where farmers can use these bags instead of the regular polyethelene films. The demand for biodegradable plastic bags is rising and using these bags will make collection of waste an easier process.
Source: http://www.basf.com