question: Why can't we artificially make plastic decompose faster?
comment: Decomposition happens when something eats the thing that is decomposing. Ie. wood decomposes because fungi and bacteria are literally eating and digesting the wood. You can accelerate decomposition by improving conditions for the microbial life that processes whatever it is you're trying to decompose. Heat and humidity greatly accelerate organic decomposition because it helps microbes digest and reproduce faster. The trouble with plastic is that virtually nothing eats plastic so you can't speed it up. When a plastic bag has that little logo that says 'biodegradable' it doesn't mean something will eat and decompose that plastic bag. It just means the structural integrity of the plastic bag will cause it to fall apart into ever smaller pieces of plastic over the course of years. Unfortunately, since it just falls apart rather than actually decompose, those biodegradable plastic bags still end up polluting.
passages: Current solutions to dealing with the amount of plastic being thrown away include burning the plastics and dumping them into large fields or landfills. Burning plastics leads to significant amounts of air pollution, which is harmful to human and animal health. When dumped into fields or landfills, plastics can cause changes in the pH of the soil, leading to soil infertility. Furthermore, plastic bottles and plastic bags that end up in landfills are frequently consumed by animals, which then clogs their digestive systems and leads to death.
   Section::::Aspects of plastic processing.
  
  Section::::Aspects of plastic processing.:Degradable plastics.
  
  Oxo-degradable plastics: these are petroleum-based plastics with additives such as transition metals and metals salts that promote the process of fragmentation of the plastic when exposed to a particular environment, such as high temperature or oxygen rich one, for a prolonged period of time. Fragmentation exposes a larger surface area of the plastic to colonies of bacteria that eventually decompose the polymer into its lower energy state components: carbon dioxide and water.
  
  Some aspects to take into account regarding this method to dispose of end-of-life plastics are:
   One innovation of green nanotechnology that is currently under development are nanomachines modeled after a bacteria bioengineered to consume plastics, "Ideonella sakaiensis". These nano-machines are able to decompose plastics dozens of times faster than the bioengineered bacteria not only because of their increased surface area but also because of the fact that the energy released from decomposing the plastic is used to fuel the nano-machines.
  
  Section::::Cleaning up oil spills.:Air pollution control.
   Section::::Environmental and social effects.
  
  Plastic pollution from illegal dumping poses health risks to wildlife. Animals often mistake plastics for food, resulting in intestinal entanglement. Slow-degrading chemicals, like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), nonylphenol (NP), and pesticides also found in plastics, can release into environments and subsequently also be ingested by wildlife.
   Some companies produce biodegradable additives, to enhance biodegradation. Plastic can have starch powder added as a filler to allow it to degrade more easily, but this still does not lead to the complete breaking down of the plastic.
  
  Some researchers have genetically engineered bacteria to synthesize completely biodegradable plastics, such as Biopol; however, these are expensive at present.
  
  Section::::Properties and classifications.:Biodegradable plastics and bioplastics.:Bioplastics.
   BULLET::::- Less desirably, hazardous molds have been found aboard space stations, molds that degrade rubber into a digestible form.
  
  BULLET::::- Several species of yeasts, bacteria, algae and lichens have been found growing on synthetic polymer artifacts in museums and at archaeological sites.
  
  BULLET::::- In the plastic-polluted waters of the Sargasso Sea, bacteria have been found that consume various types of plastic; however it is unknown to what extent these bacteria effectively clean up poisons rather than simply releasing them into the marine microbial ecosystem.
  
  BULLET::::- Plastic eating microbes also have been found in landfills.
   Plastic recycling improves usage of resources. Biodegradable films need to be kept away from the usual recycling stream to prevent contaminating the polymers to be recycled.
  
  If disposed of in a sanitary landfill, most traditional plastics do not readily decompose. The sterile conditions of a sealed landfill also deter degradation of biodegradable polymers.
   BULLET::::- Waste landfill costs: if plastics represent a significant percentage of waste in a particular region, manufacturing plastics with bio-degradable properties may be more profitable and ecologically friendly than merely disposing of a non-degradable plastic. By using degradable polymers, costs due to waste transportation, landfill maintenance, new landfill excavation and environmental hazard control can be avoided.
  
  BULLET::::- Lost end-of-life plastic potential: processes such as energy recovery of the plastic by incineration or biological treatment and material recovery by recycling have to be taken into account when assessing the feasibility of manufacturing degradable polymers.
  
  Section::::Aspects of plastic processing.:Reusable plastic containers.
   BULLET::::5. Disposal: processes to dispose of waste be it landfilling, incineration, pyrolysis, gasification and other finalist solutions. Landfill is restricted in some EU-countries through Landfill Directives and there is a debate about Incineration For example, original plastic which contains a lot of energy is just recovered in energy instead of being recycled. According to the Waste Framework Directive, the European Waste Hierarchy is legally binding except in cases that may require specific waste streams to depart from the hierarchy. This should be justified on the basis of life-cycle thinking.
   Section::::Reduction efforts.:Biodegradable and degradable plastics.
  
  The use of biodegradable plastics has many advantages and disadvantages. Biodegradables are biopolymers that degrade in industrial composters. Biodegradables do not degrade as efficiently in domestic composters, and during this slower process, methane gas may be emitted.
   Section::::Biological degradation.
  
  Biodegradable plastics can be biologically degraded by microorganisms to give lower molecular weight molecules. To degrade properly biodegradable polymers need to be treated like compost and not just left in a landfill site where degradation is very difficult due to the lack of oxygen and moisture.
  
  Section::::Stabilizers.
   Although biodegradable and degradable plastics have helped reduce plastic pollution, there are some drawbacks. One issue concerning both types of plastics is that they do not break down very efficiently in natural environments. There, degradable plastics that are oil-based may break down into smaller fractions, at which point they do not degrade further.
  
  Section::::Reduction efforts.:Incineration.
   In general, the process of microbial plastic biodegradation results in a considerable decrease in polymer molecular weight, causing the plastic to lose its structural integrity. There are several different ways in which microorganisms can carry out the process of plastic degradation, and the mechanism differs slightly depending on the environmental conditions. 
  
  Section::::Mechanism of biodegradation.:Direct Action.
   There is concern that another greenhouse gas, methane, might be released when any biodegradable material, including truly biodegradable plastics, degrades in an anaerobic landfill environment. Methane production from 594 managed landfill environments is captured and used for energy; some landfills burn this off through a process called flaring to reduce the release of methane into the environment. In the US, most landfilled materials today go into landfills where they capture the methane biogas for use in clean, inexpensive energy. Incinerating non-biodegradable plastics will release carbon dioxide as well. Disposing of non-biodegradable plastics made from natural materials in anaerobic (landfill) environments will result in the plastic lasting for hundreds of years.
   Plastics can be pyrolyzed into hydrocarbon fuels, since plastics include hydrogen and carbon. One kilogram of waste plastic produces roughly a liter of hydrocarbon.
  
  Section::::Environmental effects.:Decomposition of plastics.
   Bacteria have developed the ability to degrade plastics. While not a solution to the disposal problem, it is likely that bacteria have developed the ability to consume hydrocarbons. In 2008, a 16-year-old boy reportedly isolated two plastic-consuming bacteria.
  
  Section::::Advantages and disadvantages.:Environmental benefits.:Environmental concerns and benefits.
  
  According to a 2010 report of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the US had 31 million tons of plastic waste, representing 12.4% of all municipal solid waste. Of that, 2.55 million tons were recovered. This 8.2% recovery was much less than the 34.1% overall recovery percentage for municipal solid waste.
   Gerngross reports a 2.65 kg total fossil fuel energy equivalent (FFE) required to produce a single kilogram of PHA, while polyethylene only requires 2.2 kg FFE. Gerngross assesses that the decision to proceed forward with any biodegradable polymer alternative will need to take into account the priorities of society with regard to energy, environment, and economic cost.
   There are also other types of degradable materials that are not considered to be biopolymers, because they are oil-based, similar to other conventional plastics. These plastics are made to be more degradable through the use of different additives, which help them degrade when exposed to UV rays or other physical stressors. yet, biodegradation-promoting additives for polymers have been shown not to significantly increase biodegradation.
   Each year hundreds of millions of tons of plastics are produced from petroleum. Most of these plastics will remain in landfills for years to come or litter the environment posing significant health risks to animals; however, the average person's lifestyle would be impractical without them (see Applications). One solution to this conundrum lies in biodegradable polymers. These polymers have the distinct advantage that over time they will break down. Dr. Geoffrey Coates headed research to create catalysts that can not only efficiently create these biodegradable polymers, but the polymers also incorporate the greenhouse gas and global warming contributor, CO, and, environmentally present ground-ozone producer, CO. These two gases can be found or produced in high concentrations from agricultural waste, coal, and industrial applications as byproducts. Not only do the catalysts utilize these normally wasted and environmentally unfriendly gases, but they also do it extremely efficiently with high turnover numbers and frequencies in addition to good selectivity. These catalysts have been actively used by Novomer Inc to make polycarbonates that can replace the current coating bisphenol A (BPA) found in many food and drink packaging. Novomer's analysis shows that if used in all cases, these biodegradable polymer coatings could not only sequester, but also avoid further production of CO in hundreds of millions of metric tons in just a single year.
   Biodegradation is another possible solution to large amounts of microplastic waste. In this process, microorganisms consume and decompose synthetic polymers with using degrading enzymes. These plastics can then be used in the form of energy and as a source of carbon once broken down. The microbes could potentially be used to treat sewage wastewater, which would decrease the amount of microplastics that pass through into the surrounding environments.
  
  Section::::Policy and legislation.
   BULLET::::- Plastic roads can be built from waste plastic --- the majority of which is usually put into landfill, incinerated, or polluted into the environment. Land-filling and incinerating plastic are both problematic methods of managing plastic waste. Plastics in landfills can leak pollutants into the surrounding soil; incinerating creates gaseous pollutants, such as carbon dioxide.
   Much of the reason for disappointing plastics recycling goals is that conventional plastics are often commingled with organic wastes (food scraps, wet paper, and liquids), leading to accumulation of waste in landfills and natural habitats. Current usage also makes it difficult and impractical to recycle the underlying polymer without expensive cleaning and sanitizing procedures.
   Section::::Aspects of plastic processing.:Incineration of plastics.
   BULLET::::- The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus effectively degrades plasticized PVC. Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been grown on PVC in a mineral salt agar. Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Lentinus tigrinus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus sydowii can also effectively degrade PVC. Phanerochaete chrysosporium was grown on PVC in a mineral salt agar.
   A study commissioned by the European Commission on "Life Cycle Assessment of PVC and of principal competing materials" states that "Recent studies show that the presence of PVC has no significant effect on the amount of dioxins released through incineration of plastic waste."
  
  Section::::Health and safety.:End-of-life.
  
  The European waste hierarchy refers to the five steps included in the article 4 of the Waste Framework Directive:
  
  BULLET::::1. Prevention: preventing and reducing waste generation.
  
  BULLET::::2. Reuse and preparation for reuse: giving the products a second life before they become waste.
  
presuppositions: Plastic decomposes.
corrections: Plastic does not decompose because nothing eats plastic, however plastic falls apart into smaller plastic particles.
raw_presuppositions: Plastic decomposes. Plastic can decompose.
raw_corrections: Plastic does not decompose because nothing eats plastic, however plastic falls apart into smaller plastic particles. Plastic does not decompose, it just falls apart into smaller plastic particles.