Many of the products are now packaged to emphasize degradability.

He added, however, that competing brands had been using degradability to increase sales.

One reason is that only a limited degree of degradability can be built into common plastics.

To determine the feasibility of using microorganisms, degradability tests must be done.

All plastics share an inherent characteristic that is at the root of the degradability problem.

One important issue concerning degradability, environmentalists say, is just what used plastics degrade into.

Degradability means that a material decomposes into basic constituents like water and carbon dioxide through some natural process.

Environmental hazards tend to focus on degradability, bioaccumulation and aquatic toxicity.

Several states have brought legal actions against companies that made degradability claims for plastic trash bags and disposable diapers.

Rumen environment and feed degradability in swamp buffaloes fed different supplements.

The true foe of degradability is landfilling.

This may be done to reduce its toxicity, or increase its degradability or compostability.

Mobil said it was making the change in labeling "in response to mounting confusion regarding the definition of degradability."

The method is very versatile, and the properties of the microcapsules (size, porosity, degradability, mechanical resistance).

Competitive Reasons Mobil officials have said they made the claim to be competitive with other bags advertising degradability.

Polyolefins with controlled environmental degradability.

Mobil had based its claim of degradability on a chemical added to the plastic bag that tends to decompose in the presence of sunlight.

Allen Gray, a spokesman for Mobil, acknowledged that controversy over the value of degradability was a factor in the company's decision to withdraw the claim.

What he feels is an even more important point is that the prerequisites for degradability are also excluded, if air and water are excluded.

Besides degradability, officials in some states are planning to examine claims for terms like "recyclable" and "environmentally friendly," Mr. Humphrey said.

Evaluation of degradability of biodegradable polyethylene (PE).

Flame retardants, degradability additives and UV stabilisers will be the best performers, all forecast to grow over 25 per cent in five years.

Experts on landfills say the degradability feature could help dispose of roadside litter but has little value in modern landfills because disintegration takes place so slowly.

It all depends from the materials you like to test, since there are big differences in degradability over the kind of materials, paper, fabrics, metals, plastics , and so on.

In most studies, plastic items accounted for much of the debris, sometimes as much as 90% or more of the total, owing to their ubiquitous use and poor degradability.