Development And Application Of An Analytical Method To Determine Polyethylene In Compostable Carrier Bags

In this work, the amount of PE contained in complex biodegradable polymer blends and in carrier bags claimed to be compostable was determined by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Since February 2016, the method has been regularly applied and further extended to check the presence of PE in more than 60 carrier bags certified as compostable and has contributed to reveal the incidence of illegal carrier bags on the market. Analyses were commissioned by Legambiente, private companies and laboratories.