“Don’t discard ‘Biodegradable’ plastics at sea” says a new report from the United Nations because biodegradable plastics don’t disintegrate in the ocean. Complete degradation of biodegradable plastic occurs when none of the original polymer remains, a process involving microbial action (i.e. it is broken down to carbon dioxide, methane and water) but this process requires microbes found in soil and prolonged temperature above 50°C. Such conditions are rarely met in the marine environment. Read More
