What is ISO 16929- Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials about?

ISO 16929 defines a test method used to determine the degree of disintegration of plastic materials in a pilot-scale aerobic composting test under defined conditions. It forms part of an overall scheme for the evaluation of the industrial compostability of plastics as outlined in ISO 17088.

ISO 16929 is also used to determine the influence of the test material on the composting process and the quality of the compost obtained.

Note- This test method cannot be used to determine the aerobic biodegradability of a test material.

Who is ISO 16929- Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials for?

ISO 16929 on the determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials is useful for:

Plastic manufacturing industry
Plastic testing institutions
Environment protection agencies
Government regulatory authorities

Why should you use ISO 16929- Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials?

The biological treatment of biodegradable plastic materials includes aerobic composting in well-operated, municipal, or industrial biological waste treatment facilities. Determining the degree of disintegration of plastic materials in a pilot-scale plant is an important step within a test scheme to evaluate the industrial compostability of such materials. Aerobic biodegradation and disintegration of materials under controlled composting conditions are generally the types of testing that regulatory agency require in order to make product claims. ISO 16929 defines a test method used to determine the degree of disintegration of plastic materials in a pilot-scale aerobic composting test under defined conditions

ISO 16929 encompasses an environment more representative of microbial populations than laboratory-scale setups. Compost environments include a variety of microbial populations with thermophilic organisms playing a key part in the composition of compost. The test material is mixed with fresh biowaste in a precise concentration and introduced into a defined composting environment.

ISO 16929 helps you to protect the environment. It decreases the waste sent to landfills or incinerators, it takes less energy to manufacture, and it releases fewer harmful substances when breaking down.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN ISO 16929:2021 supersedes ISO 16929:2019.

BS EN ISO 16929:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to ISO 16929:2019. These include:

The minimum amount of biowaste has been changed to 15 kg from 30 kg due to the smaller size of composting bins
A separate temperature profile has been added to cover tests including also the production of compost for ecotoxicity tests

BS EN ISO 16929:2021

Plastics. Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials under defined composting conditions in a pilot-scale test

Current

Published:

30 Apr 2021