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Many packaging products contaminated with food residue are unacceptable by existing recycling processes. Composting is an attractive alternative to avoiding landfill disposal, thus reducing the environmental footprint.
Food waste and unrecovered paper make up almost 50% of what we landfill in the US today. In the landfill these materials slowly decompose and create greenhouse gases like methane. These materials could be diverted to compost facilities where they quickly breakdown and the residual compost can be used to enhance farm soil.
Compostable claims for consumer products must be made clear, with full consideration of appropriate scientific standards, state and federal regulations, and local infrastructure. The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) Compostable Certification is the only verification of industrial compostable products in North America. This certification guides manufacturers, composters, and consumers to understand, identify, and trust that an item is compostable and can be diverted with food scraps where programs exist.
Our offer
Western Michigan University Paper Pilot Plant provides compostability testing of paper and plastic products—and assesses compostable resins, intermediates, components, and final products. WMU’s protocol was developed according to ASTM standards D6868, D6400, and D8410, and supports manufacturers in registering and certifying their products to receive the BPI Compostable Certification mark.
Description of methods
ASTM D6400 (plastic products) and ASTM D6868 (paper products) specify the requirements for labeling products designed to be aerobically composted in municipal or industrial facilities. The entire testing procedure can take six to nine months to complete. All tests are graded on a pass/fail basis. The testing item must pass all tests to be eligible to claim industrial compostable certification. The requirements include four critical tests:
Cost and requirements:
A dry weight of >5lb of test materials in its finished form is required per sample.
Compostability breakdown menu
Test | Fee single sample | 20% off multi-sample |
Disintegration | $8,900 | $7,120 |
Biodegradation | $11,600 | $9,280 |
Plant Ecotoxicity | $2,750 | $2,200 |
Heavy metal, Flourine, Ash, FT-IR | $1,550 | —— |
Bio-based Content | $950 | —— |