Organic Waste
Delivery to the composting plant with a lot of plastic and other contaminants in the collected household waste, which can only be partially sorted out.
Plastic becomes microplastic
In conventional windrow composting, the collected material is pre-rotted after sorting and further processing steps and then placed in windrows or directly into windrows and turned approximately 15 times.
With each turning process, the spindle (right) shreds the material and with it the plastic, which becomes smaller and smaller into microplastic, but does not disappear.
“The increasing burden of microplastics poses a serious challenge for waste management. Studies on microplastic pollution in waste management show alarming results that affect both the environment and health.” Quote from the study “Microplastic Pollution in Waste Management: Current Studies and Findings. By Anna Schmidt Becker / October 6, 2024 https://thermoplasticcomposites.de/
Despite positive developments, environmental pollution from waste, microplastics and recycling deficiencies remains a central problem.
https://www.dw.com/de/m%C3%BCllverbrennung-in-deutschland-entsorgung-mit-risiken/a-50759483
Microplastics in the organic waste garbage – a definite no-go! – DER SPIEGEL
The sticky Organic waste garbage (plastic, residual waste) can only be partially sorted out and can be found shredded in the organic waste garbage compost, up to 895 plastic particles less than 5mm per kilogram of dry weight.
(Study by Prof. Christian Laforsch, University of Bayreuth)
Read the article here: Microplastics in the organic waste garbage – a definite no-go! – DER SPIEGEL
By Christoph Seidler, 05.04.2018, 09.39 am