ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the potential and the problems of degradable packaging. The rate of degradation of a paper product depends on its chemical composition and the environmental conditions under which it is degrading. Research directed towards the development of a soluble glass container has been carried out. Plastics are the subject of most of the concern about increasing the degradability of waste, especially packaging waste. Research on photodegradation of plastics has a long history, but much of the literature is devoted to ways to protect plastics against undesirable degradation, especially in outdoor applications. Biodegradation of plastics can result from photodegradation occurring sufficiently to produce oligomers small enough to be consumed by microorganisms. For some materials, hydrolytic degradation, degradation resulting from the action of water, is also important. Some experts have expressed concern that people may see degradability as a license to litter, thus increasing rather than decreasing the amount of litter we must deal with.
