Do Biodegradable Plastics Really Work?

Dr. David Wiles, board member of EPI’s International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB), responds to a common question posed many times in the media such as the article found here: http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/do-biodegradable-plastics-really-work

Do  Biodegradable  Plastics  Really  Work?

The correct answer is Certainly, YES.

Let’s see where Ramani went wrong!

In trying to answer the question “Just how long does it take for conventional plastics to break down?” Ramani should have noted that there are dozens of different kinds of plastics available commercially and there is no single answer to the question for all these  different materials. His answers to subsequent questions make it clear that he’s talking primarily about polyolefins. Frequently he includes irrelevant consideration of compostable products. What follows here is a correction of his misleading/incorrect statements that do not apply to the oxo-biodegradable polyolefins developed by EPI.