subject: What Is Biodegradable PET Plastic? [print this page] What Is Biodegradable PET Plastic? What Is Biodegradable PET Plastic?
Working with Bio-tec Environmental, developer of the breakthrough EcoPureT technology, we now have the unique ability to offer a revolutionary biodegradable PET plastic packaging solution that is FDA approved.
Until now two types of products have dominated this sector of the market: oxo-degradables and starch based PLA (Poly-lactic Acid) products. Oxo-degradables are an additive based technology which cause bottles to fragment from light, heat, moisture, mechanical stress and can only be used in polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene (not in polyethyeleneterapthalate, or PET). Also, oxo-degradables do not actually biodegrade; they only break down into tiny toxic pieces of plastic which get mixed into our soil and waterways. This impacts plant and animal life, and in doing so, can contaminate our food supply.
PLA is a starch based alternative to traditional plastics and attempts to replace polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyethyeleneterapthalate (PET). But these PLA packaging options lack the performance of conventional PET plastic packaging and have not yet attained economies of scale. In fact, they can drive up the prices of essential food-supply commodities, such as corn.
Our products are cost effective and offer the same advantages as PET plastic packaging because it is PET. And in fact, the EcoPureT technology used to make our plastic packaging solutions biodegradable can be used with polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethyeleneterapthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and most other types of polymer.
Our biodegradable PET solutions not only maintain the same physical properties as conventional PET plastic packaging, but can also be recycled alongside conventional PET. Many other biodegradable options on the market actually contaminate the PET recycling stream, creating added stress on recycling plants.
How do plastics biodegrade?
The EcoPureT technology behind our products adds nutrients and other organic compounds that weaken the polymer chain and allow microbial action to colonize in and around the plastic. The bottles are then completely metabolized, turning them into inert humus (biomass), biogas (anaerobic) or Co2 (aerobic).
Thus, rather than requiring mechanical means such as heat and light to break down, our products biodegrade in one to five years through the microbial activity in compost and landfill environments.
