The problem is that ordinary and recycled plastics will lie or float around in the environment for decades after the end of their useful life, but they can now be made oxo-biodegradable.

This is done by including d2w additive which makes it degrade, then biodegrade, on land or at sea, in the light or the dark, in heat or cold, in whatever timescale is required, leaving NO fragments NO methane and NO harmful residues. Oxo-bio can be tested according to American Standard 6954, and is made from a by-product of oil refining which used to be wasted, so nobody is importing extra oil to make it. There is little or no additional cost, and it is recyclable.

For further info about oxo-bio see http://www.biodeg.org

“Compostable” plastics made from crops, are up to 400% more expensive, they are thicker and heavier (so more trucks to transport them) many of them are not strong enough for use in high-speed machinery, and they emit methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in landfill. Also, it is wrong to use land, water and fertilisers to grow crops for bioplastics and biofuels, which drives up the cost of food for the poorest people. See eg The Guardian newspaper (UK) 26th April 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/26/waste.pollution?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Compostable plastic makes sense only if there are industrial composting facilities available to receive it in sufficient quantity. As it is expensive to separate compostable plastics from other plastics, many industrial composters do not want plastic of any kind in their feedstock. It is not suitable for home-composting.

Also, compostable plastics will damage the recycling process if they get into in a normal plastic recycling waste stream