Biodegradability of Packaging Films

The biodegradability of several packaging films was determined; the degradation of the polymeric films, polypropylene and poly(vinyl chloride), was compared to a coated paper and several coated cellophanes. The films were buried in bacterially-active soil and the extent of bacterial degradation was determined by measuring the reduction in tensile strength as a function of burial time. The results show that the polymeric films do not degrade after five weeks of soil burial while the glassine and cellophanes do degrade. Surprisingly, the cellophane films decompose at a faster rate than the coated glassine sheet.