7 Determination of disintegration
Unless technically impossible the packaging, packaging material or packaging component shall be tested for disintegration in the form in which it will ultimately be used. The controlled pilot-scale test shall be used as the reference form. A test in a full-scale treatment facility, may, however, be accepted as equivalent. The pilot-scale test simulates, as closely as possible, the real conditions of a high-level aerobic composting facility whereas a full-scale facility (technical composting plant) has always by definition real conditions and treatment periods.
In practice packaging materials are tested and from this it is concluded that a complete packaging will be disintegrated if all are capable of disintegration. A complete packaging should, however, be tested in cases where a direct conclusion is not possible e.g. if two or more packaging materials are firmly joined together forming a fixed multi-layer structure.
Due to the nature and analytical conditions of the disintegration test results cannot differentiate between biodegradation and abiotic disintegration they are required to demonstrate that a sufficient disintegration of the test material is achieved within the specified treatment time of biowaste, By combining these observations with the information obtained from the laboratory tests it can be concluded whether a test material is sufficiently biodegradable under the known conditions of biological waste treatment and whether biodegradability can be brought to a conclusion with the use of the compost.
Pilot-scale composting tests are also suitable instruments for investigating any negative effects of the test materials on the composting process if sufficient test material is introduced. This can be achieved by direct comparison of process parameters in reactors with and without test material.
The compost obtained at the end of the disintegration test may be used for analytical and biological quality control testing. When tests on ecotoxicity are performed it is important to use compost from disintegration tests which have been run with and without the test material to compare the test results directly and to find out any relative ecotoxic effects (see clause 8)
NOTE 1 For the purpose of this standard it is sufficient to determine disintegration under aerobic composting conditions. If in a special case information on anaerobic treatability is required an anaerobic pilot-scale test or a full-scale facility for solid treatment should be used.
NOTE 2 Special attention should be given to the visual aspects of compost. Visual contamination of compost, as evidenced by reduction of aesthetic acceptability, should not be significantly increased by any post composting residues of the packaging material introduced.