【文章內容簡介】 cs COMPOSTABLE, degradable and biodegradable are often mistakenly interchanged… Compostable Plastic is, by ASTM standards, capable of undergoing biological deposition in a post site as part of an available program, such that the plastic is not visually distinguishable and breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inanic pounds, and biomass, at a rate consistent with known postable materials (. cellulose) and leaves no toxic residue. In order for a plastic to be called postable, three criteria need to be met: Biodegrade break down into CO2, water, biomass at the same rate as cellulose Disintegrate the material is indistinguishable in the post Ecotoxicity the biodegradation does not produce any toxic material and the post can support plant growth. Biodegradable Plastic will degrade from the action of naturally occurring microanism, such as bacteria, fungi etc., over a period of time. Note, that there is no requirement for leaving no toxic residue, and as well as no requirement for the time it needs to take to biodegrade. Degradable Plastic will undergo a significant change in its chemical structure 4 under specific environmental conditions resulting in a loss of some properties. A plastic therefore may be degradable but not biodegradable or it may be biodegradable but not postable. (Adapted from ) Plastic Containers Under Attack ENVIRONMENTAL CRUSADERS have often vilified traditional, petroleumbased plastics. Currently, one of the hot topics among these activists has been the use of toxic bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate plastics. Recently, however, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that there is little risk to humans from BPA in consumer products at current levels. EFSA said the expert panel tasked to evaluate the safety of the mon plastic additive found that the human body rapidly metabolizes and eliminates BPA, and therefore it presents no risk to infants, children, or adults. The conclusions from those studies and prehensive safety evaluations by government bodies worldwide are that polycarbonate bottles are safe for consumer use, states the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). Flexible vs. rigid RESEARCH findings on the relationship between flexible packaging and sustainability by Franklin Associates, an independent third party research firm, demonstrates the smaller environmental footprint of flexible resealable packaging as pared to rigid alternatives, according to ZipPak. The life cycle inventory (LCI) included eight packaging systems (flexible packaging formats with resealable closures as well as rigid p