Biodegradable packages pollute nature for at least 3 years after instillation

Mankind is struggling with pollutionEnvironment in many ways - for example, in some countries, instead of ordinary plastic bags, analogues are used with the addition of degradable materials. Many people believe that biodegradable packages disappear extremely quickly, but researchers from the University of Plymouth have proven that this is far from the case. Being outdoors, in the soil or under water, they can be stored for more than three years and remain as strong.

To prove it, scientists have studied five typespersonally recycled bags with degradable components. They were removed from the ocean, dug out of the ground and found in the open air. The researchers carefully studied the area they lost in three years and how their chemical structure changed. To their surprise, with some of them you could even go to the store - they were so well preserved that they could withstand a lot of products.

I was really surprised that any of the packagescan still accommodate many purchases even after three years. When you see something marked this way (as biodegradable), I think you automatically assume it will deteriorate faster than regular packages. Our research shows that this is far from the case.

Imogen Napper, Head of Research Group

The best decomposition results showedcompostable bags - they dissolved in water three months after disposal. They also decomposed well in the soil, but the patches could be found even after 27 months. Biodegradable and oxo-biodegradable packages, in turn, retained their strength even after 3 years.

Researchers believe that people needTo remind what the word "biodegradable" actually means. According to them, they can completely decompose only after industrial processing, and in the natural environment, the effect of microbes, oxygen, humidity, time and other factors is important for this.

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