A new natural additive called EcoSmart (ESP) is claimed to allow plastics bags, bottles and food packaging to become 100% biodegradable when disposed of in landfill or natural waterways. Developed in the USA, ESP is available from sole UK distributor Haywood Products
Unlike other biodegradable products, the ESP additive does not reduce the plastics to small pieces or break down to leave any toxic remnants. It is said to ‘genuinely render the polymers biodegradable, by turning waste plastics into a microbial food source’. When exposed to active microbial environments, it is colonised by microbes and subsequently all of the waste plastics is consumed and converted into harmless biomass and biogas.
Due to this method of biodegradation, plastics made with ESP – ‘unlike other so called biodegradable plastics’ - do not degrade when exposed to UV, oxygen or heat. In addition, plastics made with ESP additive is also said to be reusable and re-cyclable ‘without any detrimental impact on the recycle chain, or any need for product separation’.
ESP is said to be ideal for the production of such items as plastics carrier bags, food packaging, and cleaning fluid bottles.