Specifications for compostable plastics

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Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)
Standards Development Organisation:
Contact Information:
Working Program:
Designation Number:
CAN/BNQ-ISO 0017-088
Standard Type:
National Standard of Canada - Adoption of International Standard
Standard Development Activity:
New Edition
ICS code(s):
83.080.01
Status:
NOI withdrawn
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Posted On:

Scope:

Scope

Note: This NOI was withdrawn by the responsible SDO on February 14, 2023.

Scope

This International Standard specifies procedures and requirements for the identification and labelling of plastics, and products made from plastics, that are suitable for recovery through aerobic composting. The four following aspects are addressed:

  1. biodegradation;
  2. disintegration during composting;
  3. negative effects on the composting process and facility;
  4. negative effects on the quality of the resulting compost, including the presence of high levels of regulated metals and other harmful components.

This specification is intended to establish the requirements for the labelling of plastic products and materials, including packaging made from plastics, as “compostable” or “compostable in municipal and industrial composting facilities” or “biodegradable during composting” (for the purposes of this International Standard, these three expressions are considered to be equivalent). The labelling will, in addition, have to conform to all international, regional, national or local regulations (e.g. European Directive 94/62/EC).

NOTE    The recovery of compostable plastics through composting can be carried out under the conditions found in well-managed composting plants, where the temperature, water content, aerobic conditions, carbon/nitrogen ratio and processing conditions are optimized. Such conditions are generally obtained in industrial and municipal composting plants. Under these conditions, compostable plastics will disintegrate and biodegrade at rates comparable to yard trimmings, kraft paper bags and food scraps.

Project need:

Project Need
The standards development committee could not reach a consensus during the vote.

Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.

Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.