Contractor’s Report to the Board Evaluation of the Performance of Rigid Plastic Packaging Containers, Bags, and Food Service Packaging in Full-Scale Commercial Composting Produced under contract by: California State University Chico Research Foundation March 6, 2007 S TATE OF C ALIFORNIA Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor Linda S. Adams Secretary for Environmental Protection • INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD Margo Reid Brown Rosalie Mulé Wesley Chesbro Board Chair Board Member Board Member Jeffrey Danzinger Gary Petersen (Vacant Position) Board Member Board Member Board Member Mark Leary Executive Director For additional copies of this publication, contact: Integrated Waste Management Board Public Affairs Office, Publications Clearinghouse (MS–6) 1001 I Street P.O. Box 4025 Sacramento, CA 95812-4025 www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/ 1-800-CA-WASTE (California only) or (916) 341-6306 Publication #432-07-003 Copies of this document originally provided by CIWMB were printed on recycled paper containing 100 percent postconsumer fiber. Copyright © 2007 by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. All rights reserved. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Prepared as part of contract IWM-C2061 (total contract amount: $65,000, includes other services). The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) does not discriminate on the basis of disability in access to its programs. CIWMB publications are available in accessible formats upon request by calling the Public Affairs Office at (916) 341-6300. Persons with hearing impairments can reach the CIWMB through the California Relay Service, 1-800-735-2929. Disclaimer: This report to the Board was produced under contract by California State University Chico Research Foundation. The statements and conclusions contained in this report are those of the contractor and not necessarily those of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, its employees, or the State of California and should not be cited or quoted as official Board policy or direction. The State makes no warranty, expressed or implied, and assumes no liability for the information contained in the succeeding text. Any mention of commercial products or processes shall not be construed as an endorsement of such products or processes. Table of Contents List of Figures..................................................................................................................................ii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................i Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................3 Background......................................................................................................................................4 Types and Performance of Compostable RPPCs, Food Service Products, and Bags ......................6 Starch-based Polymers .............................................................................................................. 9 Polyester-based Polymers.......................................................................................................... 9 Cost of Compostable and Biodegradable Plastics ................................................................... 10 Degradation, Residuals, Toxicity of Compostable and Biodegradable plastics...................... 10 Testing Standards for Compostable Plastics..................................................................................14 Testing Plan............................................................................................................................. 15 Experimental Work........................................................................................................................16 Materials.................................................................................................................................. 16 Experimental Methods and Procedures................................................................................... 18 Laboratory Environment ......................................................................................................... 20 Carbon Dioxide Concentration Results................................................................................... 20 Biodegradation Results............................................................................................................ 21 Phytotoxicity Testing .............................................................................................................. 28 Heavy Metal Testing ............................................................................................................... 28 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 29 University Farm Compost Facility.................................................................................................31 Materials.................................................................................................................................. 31 Experimental Set-up................................................................................................................ 32 Procedure................................................................................................................................. 33 University Farm Degradation Results ..................................................................................... 34 City of Chico Municipal Compost Facility.................................................................................... 37 Materials.................................................................................................................................. 37 Experimental Set-up................................................................................................................ 38 Procedure................................................................................................................................. 38 City of Chico Compost Facility Degradation Results ............................................................. 40 Conclusions....................................................................................................................................41 Recommendations..........................................................................................................................42 Appendices.....................................................................................................................................43 Appendix A. Calculations ....................................................................................................... 44 Appendix B. Pictures of Samples at the CSU, Chico Experimental Laboratory..................... 46 Appendix C. Pictures of Samples at the CSU, Chico Farm .................................................... 49 Appendix D. Pictures of Samples at the City of Chico Municipal Compost Facility ............. 52 i List of Figures Figure 1. Experimental set-up for laboratory environment............................................................19 Figure 2. Sampling process schematic...........................................................................................20 Figure 3. Carbon conversion percentage for compost control alone..............................................23 Figure 4. Carbon conversion percentage for cellulose control. .....................................................24 Figure 5. Carbon conversion percentage for Kraft paper control. .................................................24 Figure 6. Carbon conversion percentage for polyethylene negative control..................................25 Figure 7. Carbon conversion percentage for corn based BioBag trash bag. ..................................25 Figure 8. Carbon conversion percentage for corn PLA clamshell container. ................................26 Figure 9. Carbon conversion percentage for corn PLA cup...........................................................26 Figure 10. Carbon conversion percentage for sugar cane plate. ....................................................27 Figure 11. CO2 ppm concentration of BioBag trash bag after 21 days..........................................28 Figure 12. Temperature of the air and compost during the duration of the university farm experiment..................................................................................................33 Figure 13. Temperature of the air and compost at the City of Chico Compost Facility. ...............39 List of Tables Table 1. Commercially Available Biodegradable and Compostable Polymers ...............................8 Table 2. Compostable product information for laboratory experiment. ........................................17 Table 3. Designed-use analysis for compostable products. ...........................................................18 Table 4. Heats of combustion, carbon content, and moisture % for compostable samples. ..........22 Table 5. Degradation rates for compostable samples.....................................................................23