ASTM D5209 - 92 Standard Test Method for Determining the Aerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials

Designation: D7209 06

Standard Guide forWaste Reduction, Resource Recovery, and Use of RecycledPolymeric Materials and Products1

This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7209; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope1.1 This guide provides information for the development of

standards (guides, practices, terminology, test methods, orspecifications) relating to plastics recycling and other means ofwaste reductions and resource recovery.

1.2 This guide is directed to consumer, commercial, andindustrial sources of thermoplastics and thermoset polymericmaterials.

1.3 This guide addresses terminology, performance stan-dards, specifications, quality assurance, separation or segrega-tion of product by classes, identification and marking ofgeneric classes, contaminants, fillers, designing for recycle,degradable products, reconstituted products, biobased resins,certification and percentages of recycled products, and othermethods of waste reduction and resource recovery.

1.4 This guide does not address parameters or factorsinvolving the original manufacture of virgin polymers or thefabrication of consumer products from these virgin polymers.

1.5 This guide is intended to replace Guide D5033.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the

safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.

NOTE 1There is no equivalent ISO standard. ISO/DIS 15270 issimilar in scope and content.

2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D883 Terminology Relating to PlasticsD1600 Terminology for Abbreviated Terms Relating to

PlasticsD1972 Practice for Generic Marking of Plastic ProductsD2665 Specification for Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Plastic

Drain, Waste, and Vent Pipe and Fittings

D5033 Guide for Development of ASTM Standards Relat-ing to Recycling and Use of Recycled Plastics3

2.2 Federal Standards:416 CFR Part 260 Guides for the Use of Environmental

Marketing Claims2.3 ISO/IEC Standards:5ISO/DIS 15270 Guide for Recovery

3. Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 agglomerate, nshredded or granulated plastics ma-

terial or both in the form of particles that cling together.3.1.2 bale, nplastics waste that is compacted and secured

as a bundle to facilitate handling, storage, and transportation.3.1.3 batch, nquantity of material regarded as a single

unit and having a unique reference.3.1.4 biobased resin, nresin in which carbon is derived

from a renewable resource by means of biological processesand the environmental benefits of the biobased resin aredemonstrated and this includes resins derived from plantresources (such as starch or cellulose) or those produced bymicrobial fermentation.

3.1.5 biodegradable plastic, ndegradable plastic in whichthe degradation results from the action of naturally occurringmicroorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae.

3.1.6 biodegradation, ndegradation caused by biologicalactivity, especially by enzymatic action leading to a significantchange in the chemical structure of a material.

3.1.7 certificate of composition disclosure, ncertificatedescribing certain properties of a recycled material from anexternal source, its formulation and source, and the specificmaterial shipment to which it applies.

3.1.7.1 DiscussionExamples include polymer, molecularweight, percentage of inorganic material, contamination typeand level, strength, modulus, impact, and other mechanicalproperties; code or designation identifying the formulation andsource information.

1 This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics andis the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.95 on Recycled Plastics.

Current edition approved Jan. 15, 2006. Published February 2006. DOI:10.1520/D7209-06.

2 For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.

3 Withdrawn. The last approved version of this historical standard is referencedon www.astm.org.

4 Available from U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents,732 N. Capitol St., NW, Mail Stop: SDE, Washington, DC 20401.

5 Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

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3.1.8 chemical recycling, vprocessing of waste material,with significant change to the chemical structure of the material(such as cracking, gasification, and depolymerization), butexcluding energy recovery or incineration.

3.1.9 chips, nsee regrind.3.1.9.1 DiscussionChips is a deprecated term.3.1.10 collection, nlogistical process of moving (plastics)

waste from its source to a place where it can be recovered.3.1.11 commingled plastics, nmixture of materials or

products consisting of different types of plastics.3.1.12 compostable plastic, nplastic that undergoes deg-

radation by biological processes during composting to yieldcarbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass at arate consistent with other known, compostable materials andleaves no visually distinguishable or toxic residue.

3.1.13 contaminant, nunwanted substance or materialdefined according to the intended use.

3.1.14 converting, vshaping plastics raw material to makea usable semifinished or finished product.

3.1.15 degradable plastic, nplastic designed to undergo asignificant change in its chemical structure under specificenvironmental conditions resulting in a loss of some propertiesthat may vary as measured by standard test methods appropri-ate to the plastic and the application in a period of time thatdetermines its classification.

3.1.15.1 DiscussionTypes of degradable plastics includebiodegradable, hydrolytically degradable, oxidatively degrad-able, and photodegradable. Refer to Terminology D883 fordefinitions.

3.1.16 depolymerization, nchemical reversion of a poly-mer to its monomer(s) or a polymer of lower relative molecularmass.

3.1.17 energy recovery, nuse of combustible waste as ameans to generate energy through direct incineration with orwithout other waste but with recovery of the heat.

3.1.18 environmental aspects, nelement of an organiza-tions activities, products, or services that can interact with theenvironment.

3.1.19 environmental impact, nany change to the environ-ment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially,resulting from an organizations activities or products.

3.1.20 feedstock (chemical) recycling, vprocessing ofplastics material resulting in significant change to the chemicalstructure of the material (such as cracking, gasification, anddepolymerization), excluding energy recovery or incineration.

3.1.21 flake, nplate-like regrind.3.1.21.1 DiscussionThe shape of regrind depends on the

shape of the product being processed and the regrind processused.

3.1.22 fluff, nfilament-like regrind.3.1.22.1 DiscussionCommon usage of the term fluff also

includes shredder residue fractions produced in the commercialrecycling of durable goods such as automobiles.

3.1.23 heterogeneity, ndegree to which a constituent or aproperty or both is not uniformly distributed throughout arelevant quantity of plastics material.

3.1.23.1 DiscussionA material may be homogeneous withrespect to one constituent or property but heterogeneous withrespect to another.

3.1.24 homogenizing, vprocessing to improve the degreeto which a constituent or property or both is uniformlydistributed throughout a quantity of plastics material.

3.1.25 hydrolytically degradable, adjdegradable plasticin which the degradation results from hydrolysis.

3.1.26 impurity, nsee contaminant.3.1.26.1 DiscussionImpurity is a deprecated term.3.1.27 industrial rework, nrework generated by a differ-

ent company or manufacturing plant from the company ormanufacturing plant producing the products to this specifica-tion and the composition is known by the industrial source ofthe material.

3.1.27.1 DiscussionThe material shall not be purchasedfrom a third party (for example, grinding, repackaging facility)unless there is a documented system in place to ensure that thematerial is clean, free of contamination, and is of a singlesource and single material compound. Postconsumer recycledmaterial is not industrial rework and is prohibited from use inproducts within Specification D2665.

3.1.28 landfill, nwaste disposal site for the deposit ofwaste onto or into land under controlled or regulated condi-tions.

3.1.29 lot, ndefinite quantity of some commodity manu-factured or produced under conditions that are presumeduniform.

3.1.29.1 DiscussionLot is primarily a commercial term.3.1.30 material recovery, nmaterial processing operations

including mechanical recycling, feedstock (chemical) recy-cling, and organic recycling, but excluding energy recovery.

3.1.30.1 Discussionsee also recovery.3.1.31 mechanical recycling, vprocessing of plastics

waste into secondary raw material or products without signifi-cantly changing the chemical structure of the material.

3.1.31.1 DiscussionPlastics secondary raw material is asynonym of recyclate.

3.1.32 micronizing, vprocess by which plastics material isfinely ground into powder.

3.1.33 off-grade material, npolymer or plastics materialof composition that is not represented to meet its manufactur-ers specification.

3.1.34 organic recycling, naerobic, that is, composting, oranaerobic (biomethanization) treatment of biodegradable plas-tic under controlled conditions using microorganisms to pro-duce stabilized organic residues, methane, and carbon dioxide.

3.1.35 oxidatively degradable plastic, ndegradable plasticin which the degradation results primarily from oxidation.

3.1.36 photodegradable plastic, ndegradable plastic inwhich the degradation results primarily from the action ofnatural daylight.

3.1.37 plastics recycling, nprocess by which plastic ma-terials or products that would otherwise become solid waste arecollected, processed, and returned to use in plastic productsthat have fulfilled their intended purpose or can no longer beused; this includes material returned from within the distribu-tion chain.

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3.1.38 plastics waste, nany plastics material or object thatthe holder discards, or intends to discard, or is required todiscard.

3.1.39 postconsumer material, nplastics material, gener-ated by the end users of products that has fulfilled its intendedpurpose or can no longer be used, this includes materialreturned from within the distribution chain.

3.1.39.1 DiscussionPostconsumer material is part of thebroader category of recovered material. Postconsumer plasticsmay come from households or commercial, industrial, andinstitutional facilities in their role as end users of a product.Some entities use the term postcommercial to identifysubstantial amounts of similar or identical postcommercialmaterial from a nonhousehold source. Another term for post-consumer plastic is postconsumer resin.

3.1.40 preconsumer plastics material, nplastics materialthat has been diverted from the waste stream before reachingthe consumer, but excluding reutilization of material such asrework, regrind, or scrap generated in the process and capableof being reclaimed within the same process.

3.1.41 purge material, nmaterial resulting from the pass-ing of polymer through plastics processing equipment for thepurpose of cleaning the equipment or when changing from onepolymer to another or from one color or grade of polymer toanother.

3.1.42 reconstituted plastic, nmaterial made by chemicalor thermal breakdown of plastics scrap into basic componentsfollowed by their chemical conversion into a suitable compo-sition.

3.1.43 recovered material, n(plastics) materials and by-products that have been separated, diverted, or removed fromthe solid waste stream, but not including those materials andby-products generated from and reused within an originalmanufacturing process.

3.1.43.1 DiscussionThis definition includes postcon-sumer and preconsumer material only, whether or not plasticmaterial has been commingled, reprocessed, reground, orreconstituted. Wide-spec virgin plastics as well as reworked,reprocessed, and regrind plastic and purge from the samemanufacturing process are excluded.

3.1.44 recovery, nprocessing of (plastics) waste materialfor the original purpose or for other purposes including energyrecovery.

3.1.45 recyclate, nplastic material resulting from therecycling of plastics.

3.1.45.1 DiscussionPlastics secondary raw material andrecycled plastics are synonymous of recyclate. The term,regenerate, is also used.

3.1.46 recycled content, npercentage by weight of recy-clate in a material or product.

3.1.47 recycled plastic, nsee recyclate.3.1.48 recycling, vprocessing in a production process of

(plastics) waste materials for the original purpose or for otherpurposes, but excluding energy recovery.)

3.1.49 regrind, nshredded or granulated recovered plas-tics material reclaimed by shredding and granulating spruesand runners for use in houses.

3.1.49.1 DiscussionThe term regrind is frequently used todescribe plastics materials in the form of scrap generated in aplastics processing operation and used in-house.

3.1.50 resource recovery, nrecovery of material or en-ergy.

3.1.51 reuse, nuse of a product more than once in itsoriginal form.

3.1.51.1 DiscussionIn view of the fact that a reusedproduct has not been discarded, reuse does not constitute arecovery option.

3.1.52 shredding, vany mechanical process by whichplastics waste is fragmented into irregular pieces of anydimension or shape.

3.1.52.1 DiscussionShredding usually signifies the tear-ing or cutting of materials that cannot be crushed by fragmen-tation methods applicable to brittle materials, as typicallycarried out in a hammer mill or similar process.

3.1.53 source reduction, nprocess that reduces the wastefrom any step, such as design, manufacturing, packaging,acquisition, and provision for reuse of material.

3.1.54 virgin plastic, nplastic material in the form ofpellets, granules, powder, floc, or liquid that has not beensubjected to use or processing other than that required for itsinitial manufacture.

3.1.55 waste, nany substance or object that the holderdiscards or intends or is required to discard.

3.1.56 wide-spec resin, nresin that deviates from themanufacturers virgin resin specification in one or more prop-erties.

3.1.56.1 DiscussionAlso known as utility grade. Obsoles-cent terms include off-spec or off-grade virgin resinpreviously defined as resin that does not meet the manufactur-ers specification.

4. Significance and Use4.1 This guide is intended for use by committees or agencies

concerned with the development of standards related to recy-cling, waste reduction, and resource recovery. Such standardsare expected to provide uniform, standardized approaches byspecifiers, codes, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), andconsumers.

4.2 It is anticipated that more specific guides or standardsare being or will be developed to address specific requirements.

5. Factors5.1 Overall Objectives5.1.1 The inclusion of recycled plastics in standards relating

to material and product specifications is encouraged to reduceproblems relating to waste disposal and to conserve energywhen it is shown to be advantageous by life-cycle analysis.

5.1.2 Standards activities should concentrate on providingguidance for the increased use of recycled plastic and not try toaddress modifications relating to regrind, reprocessed, orreconstituted plastics that are intermediate materials gener-ated in the initial manufacturing steps.

5.1.3 Standards should reference appropriate ASTM Inter-national standards where available.

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5.1.4 Where possible, standards shall provide for identify-ing or labeling products that contain recycled plastics or otherrecovered materials, or both.

5.2 Revisions to Specifications/Standards5.2.1 Recycled plastics can be used as a feedstock unless a

specification specifically restricts their use justified on func-tional or regulatory requirements.

5.2.2 A specification or standard that currently restricts theuse of recycled plastic, or implies the restriction by specificallymentioning the nonacceptability of reworked plastic (or othersimilar materials), shall be reviewed and, if necessary, revised.If the restriction is valid for known performance reasons, thejustification shall be stated.

5.3 TerminologyTo have maximum effect and reduceconfusion, the terms related to recycled plastic should beclearly defined and identical terms used for the same concept inall standards.

5.4 Use of Performance Standards5.4.1 Standards related to recycling shall be based upon

performance standards that provide specific methods of evalu-ating end-use performance, including test methods and speci-fication of levels of end-use criteria. Use of design standardsthat require a specific material are discouraged.

5.4.2 Performance requirements in standards shall be main-tained and not be downgraded to permit the use of recycledplastic. If feasible for individual products, a second and lowerlevel of performance shall be specified if the requirements areseparated and clearly defined.

5.4.3 Efforts shall be made to resist adding additional testingrequirements (and expense) when modifying standards toaccommodate recycled plastics.

5.5 Designing for RecyclabilityDesigners and manufac-turers of plastic products shall include durability, sourcereduction, reuse, and recyclability in design considerations.Components shall be recyclable per se or be readily dismantledfor separation in a typical reclamation process.

5.6 Quality AssuranceStandards for recycled materialsshall address quality assurance provisions to ensure consistentproduct quality. Where there is a lack of product history, tighterand more frequent controls may be required.

5.7 Identification of Plastics5.7.1 Material identification by proper labeling of plastic

parts is necessary to achieve effective separation and segrega-tion of components to enhance the value of the recoveredmaterials. Refer to Practice D1972.

5.7.2 Terminology D1600 should be used to identify thegeneric classes.

5.8 Separation and Segregation5.8.1 Standards for recycling plastic materials shall address

problems relating to separation of various plastics or initialsegregation to prevent mixing. Refer to Appendix X1 forpertinent standards.

5.8.2 Cost-effective methods of recycling polymers gener-ally exist when there is an abundant source of uniform feedstock, that is, polyester drink bottles. The lack of a uniformfeed has hindered specific recycling effort. The additional costand technical problems of sorting mixtures is generally exces-sive, and in many cases, the effort to separate products into

generic components is not cost-effective (that is, multi-layerfilm). These products are better recovered by resource/energyrecovery (see 5.13).

5.9 Contaminants5.9.1 Because of previous fabrication or use, recycled plas-

tics may contain one or more contaminants. Standards shalladdress identification, quantification, and removal or analysisof contaminants.

5.9.2 Standards shall address known methods for removalof contaminants. ASTM International subcommittees are de-veloping practices that describe ways to separate contaminantsor to analyze for contaminants. Appendix X2 lists pertinentdocuments.

5.10 FillersRecycled plastics of one generic class may beused as fillers in an alternate generic class. Other recoveredmaterials (such as glass and ash) may also be used as fillers.

5.11 Thermosets/RubberThermosets and nonthermoplas-tic elastomers (rubber) are suitable for use as fillers in somethermoplastics recycling operations.

5.12 Reconstituted ProductsReconstitution of polymers isan ideal method of recycle/recovery. The postconsumer orpreconsumer recycled product is depolymerized by chemical/thermal breakdown to its monomer(s) or to a polymer of lowermolecular weight followed by conversion back to the originalgeneric class of polymer by chemical action.

5.13 Degradable Products5.13.1 Standards can consider degradable products and

identify and classify those degradable plastics and additivesthat stimulate degradation. In some cases, these need to andshould be separated from other recycled plastics. Types ofdegradable plastics include: biodegradable, hydrolytically de-gradable, oxidatively degradable, and photodegradable. Para-graph X2.2 lists pertinent ASTM International standards.

5.13.2 Systems using color coding or the labeling of specificdegradable products can be considered as an aid to preventunintentional mixing.

5.14 Resource/Energy RecoverySome recycled productsare so difficult to separate into meaningful generic classes thatthe only effective method of recovery is to incinerate theproduct and recover its heat energy.

5.15 Percentages and Certification of Products ContainingRecycled Plastics

5.15.1 A product manufacturer shall specify percentages byweight of recovered plastic material, either preconsumer ma-terial or postconsumer material, or both, in a finished plasticproduct.

5.15.2 The percentage of recycled content in a finishedproduct is based on weight, not volume.

5.15.3 If only plastics materials are used in the product, thepercentage of recycled content is based on the total weight.

5.15.4 If the product contains nonplastic materials, only thetotal weight of the plastics portion is used as the basis todetermine the percentage of recycled content.

5.16 Certification5.16.1 The product or material purchaser may require cer-

tification of the percentage and type (preconsumer material orpostconsumer material or both) of recycled content.

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5.16.2 Certifications of recycled content should be sup-ported by feedstock purchasing records and manufacturingrecords for finished products.

5.16.3 Procedures to collect supporting data for certifica-tions of recycled content can be incorporated in qualityassurance, formulation, and quality control records.

5.17 Misuse/Deceptive LabelingRecycled/reclaimed ma-terials shall be properly labeled and identified. The productshall identify the percentage and source, that is, as to postcon-sumer or preconsumer categories or both. Improper identifica-tion of regrind or rework material is illegal in some jurisdic-tions.

5.18 Product and Material Manufacturers ResponsibilityThe manufacturer has full responsibility to insure a uniformquality product with proper labeling and identification to meetthe required specifications.

6. Keywords6.1 plastics recycling; polymeric material; reconstituted

plastics; resource recovery; waste reduction

APPENDIXES

(Nonmandatory Information)

X1. ADDITIONAL ASTM INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

X1.1 RecycleD1883 D3460D3935 D4397D4432 D4552D4674 D4801D4887 D5033D5203 D5359D5476 D5491D5505 D5577D5663 D5676D5814 D5833D5834 D5989D5991 D6098D6149 D6155D6261 D6262D6263 D6288D6341 D6358D6471 D6779F1732

X1.2 DegradableB 812 D3826D4674 D5247D5271 D5272D5510 D5511D5526 D5819D6002

X1.3 BiodegradableD3826 D5210D5338 D5509D5512 D5525D5529 D5951D5988 D6003D6400 D6691D6692

X1.4 PhotodegradableD4646 D5208D5272

X2. PERTINENT STANDARDS FOR USE WITH THIS GUIDE

X2.1 ASTM International Standards Related toSeparation and Contaminants

D5577 Guide for Techniques to Separate and Identify Contaminants inRecycled Plastics

D5814 Practice for Determination of Contamination in RecycledPoly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET) Flakes and Chips Using aPlaque Test

D5991 Practice for Separation and Identification of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)(PVC) Contamination in Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET) Flake

X2.2 ASTM Standards Related to DegradabilityD3826 Practice for Determining Degradation End Point in Degradable

Polyolefins Using a Tensile TestD5071 Practice for Operating Xenon ARC-Type Exposure Apparatus with

Water for Exposure of Photodegradable PlasticsD5152 Practice for Water Extraction of Residual Solids from Degraded

Plastics for Toxicity Testing

D5208 Practice for Operating Fluorescent UV and CondensationApparatus for Exposure of Photodegradable Plastics

D5209 Test Method for Determining the Aerobic Biodegradation ofPlastic Materials in the Presence of Municipal Sewer Sludge

D5210 Test Method for Determining the Anaerobic Biodegradation ofPlastic Materials in the Presence of Municipal Sewer Sludge

D5247 Test Method for Determining the Aerobic Biodegradability ofDegradable Plastics by Specific Microorganisms

D5271 Test Method for Determining the Aerobic Biodegradation ofPlastic Materials in an Activated-Sludge-Wastewater-TreatmentSystem

D5272 Practice for Outdoor Exposure Testing for PhotodegradablePlastics

D5338 Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegradation of PlasticMaterials Under Controlled Composting Conditions

D5437 Practice for Weathering of Plastics Under Marine FloatingExposure

D5510 Practice for Heat Aging of Oxidatively Degradable Plastics

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X3. ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH THE USE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC

X3.1 The recycled content in products has been addressedby other organizations. Their work may be relevant to produc-ers and users of recycled plastic feedstocks and products.

X3.1.1 International Organization for Standardization(ISO)5

X3.1.1.1 There is no ISO standard that addresses the rangeof issues covered by this guide. ISO, however, is developingterminology related to recycled materials in task groups andsubcommittees. Drafts from the following technical commit-tees and documents were consulted:

(1) ISO/TC 61, Plastics(2) ISO/TC 207, Environmental Management(3) ISO/CD 472 DAM, PlasticsVocabulary, developed

by the ISO/TC 61, SC 1 Subcommittee for Terminology(4) ISO/FDIS 14020, Environmental Labels and

DeclarationGeneral Principles(5) ISO/DIS 14021.2, Environmental Labels and

DeclarationSelf-Declared Environmental Claims(6) ISO/FDIS 14041, Environmental ManagementLife

Cycle AssessmentGoal and Scope Definition and InventoryAnalysis

(7) ISO 14024, Environmental Labels and DeclarationType I Environmental Labeling, Principles and Procedures

(8) ISO/DIS 15270 Guide for RecoveryX3.1.1.2 Current information may be obtained by contact-

ing the ASTM International Committee D20 staff manager whoserves as the administrator of the Technical Advisory Group.

X3.1.2 U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)X3.1.2.1 The FTC issued 16 CFR Part 260, Guides for the

Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, July 1992. Theguides were revised in October 1996 and May 1998. The mostrecent revision was published in the Federal Register on May1, 1998.4 According to the FTC, the guides are intended toreduce consumer confusion and prevent the false or misleadinguse of environmental terms.

X3.1.3 Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers(APR)6

X3.1.3.1 A document from APR, Design Guidelines forPlastic Bottle Recycling, provides much information relatedto recycling of packaging products.

X3.1.4 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Offce ofSolid Waste

ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.

This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or [email protected] (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).

6 Available from the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers, 1300Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209.

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ScopeReferenced DocumentsTerminologySignificance and UseFactorsKeywordsX1. ADDITIONAL ASTM INTERNATIONAL STANDARDSX1.1 RecycleX1.2 DegradableX1.3 BiodegradableX1.4 PhotodegradableX2. PERTINENT STANDARDS FOR USE WITH THIS GUIDEX2.1 ASTM International Standards Related to Separation and ContaminantsX2.2 ASTM Standards Related to DegradabilityX3. ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH THE USE OF RECYCLED PLASTICX3.1