Additional Information

Polythene is widely used for packaging particularly for carrier bags; in fact the average household uses approximately 300 carrier bags every year! Although many people re-use the bags, and plastics can be recycled, most of them eventually end up in landfill. In Europe alone we bury several million tonnes of plastic each year, and much of it will take 100 years or more to break down.

Symphony Environmental have developed a technology called d2W™ which is designed to make polythene break down in as little as 60 days or as long as 5-6 years, depending upon the product it is used for. You may have already seen this plastic in use in the form of Co-op and Somerfield supermarket carrier bags. The plastic degrades to leave only water, carbon dioxide and a small amount of biomass. This is done by adding no more than 5% of a special ingredient, which is mixed in during the production process.

The resulting plastic has the same properties as standard plastics, but with the added benefit that it degrades in a short time. The additive 'kick starts' the degradation process when the conditions are right - any combination of heat, light and stress. And once the degradation process has started, it will continue even underground or in water!

This technology will not only result in a reduction in the volume of plastic waste in landfill, but will also allow more rapid breakdown of materials contained inside refuse sacks.