August 27, 2010 — Senate Bill 1454, currently under consideration by the California Assembly, would prohibit the sale of any plastic product that is labeled as "‘biodegradable,' ‘degradable,' or ‘decomposable,' or any form of those terms, or in any way imply that the plastic product will break down, fragment, biodegrade, or decompose in a landfill or other environment," reports Martindale.com.
Only "compostable" or "marine degradable" claims would be allowed, and only if such claims meet specified American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard specifications for demonstrating compostability or marine biodegradability, reports the article. The bill has already passed the California Senate and is expected to pass the Assembly given that California overwhelmingly approved similar limitations on claims for plastic bags and food service containers in 2008, according to Martindale.com.
Biodegradability claims are under increasing scrutiny because of concerns such claims may confuse or mislead the public.
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