ASTM D6400-04

Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics

ABSTRACT
This specification covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities. The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials. The purpose of this specification is to establish standards for identifying products and materials that will compost satisfactorily in commercial and municipal composting facilities.
SCOPE
1.1 This specification covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities.
1.2 This specification is intended to establish the requirements for labeling of materials and products, including packaging made from plastics, as "compostable in municipal and industrial composting facilities."
1.3 The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials. Further, the properties in the specification are required to assure that the degradation of these materials will not diminish the value or utility of the compost resulting from the composting process.
1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains to the test methods portion of this standard:   This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate health and safety practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
Note 1—No equivalent ISO specifications exist for this standard.

General Information

• Status: Historical
• Publication Date: 31-Aug-2004
• ICS: 83.080.01 - Plastics in general
• Technical Committee: D20 - Plastics
• Drafting Committee: D20.96 - Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products

Relations

• Replaces: ASTM D6400-99e1 - Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics
• Effective Date: 01-Sep-2004
• Replaced By: ASTM D6400-12 - Standard Specification for Labeling of Plastics Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities
• Effective Date: 15-May-2012
• Referred By: ASTM E2129-18 - Standard Practice for Data Collection for Sustainability Assessment of Building Products
• Effective Date: 01-Sep-2004
• Referred By: ASTM D6954-18 - Standard Guide for Exposing and Testing Plastics that Degrade in the Environment by a Combination of Oxidation and Biodegradation
• Effective Date: 01-Sep-2004
• Referred By: ASTM D6868-21 - Standard Specification for Labeling of End Items that Incorporate Plastics and Polymers as Coatings or Additives with Paper and Other Substrates Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities
• Effective Date: 01-Sep-2004

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
Designation: D6400 – 04
Standard Specification for
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Compostable Plastics
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6400; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope* 2.2 Organization for Economic Development (OECD)
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Standard:
1.1 This specification covers plastics and products made
OECD Guideline 208 Terrestrial Plants, Growth Test
from plastics that are designed to be composted in municipal
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2.3 Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN):
and industrial aerobic composting facilities.
EN 13432: 2000, 2000–CEN/TC 261/SC4N99
1.2 This specification is intended to establish the require-
Packaging—Requirements for Packaging Recoverable
ments for labeling of materials and products, including pack-
through Composting and Biodegradation—Test Scheme
aging made from plastics, as “compostable in municipal and
and Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptance of
industrial composting facilities.”
Packaging (EN 13432)
1.3 The properties in this specification are those required to
EN 13432 Requirements for Packaging Recoverable
determine if plastics and products made from plastics will
through Composting and Biodegradation—Test Scheme
compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate com-
and Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptance of
parable to known compostable materials. Further, the proper-
Packaging
ties in the specification are required to assure that the degra-
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2.4 ISO Standard:
dation of these materials will not diminish the value or utility
ISO 14855 Evaluation of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegrad-
of the compost resulting from the composting process.
ability and Disintegration of Plastics under Controlled
1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains to the test
Composting Conditions—Method byAnalysis of Evolved
methods portion of this standard: This standard does not
Carbon Dioxide
purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated
ISO 16929 Plastics—Determination of the Degree of Dis-
with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard
integrationofPlasticMaterialsunderDefinedComposting
to establish appropriate health and safety practices and to
Conditions in a Pilot-Scale Test
determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to
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2.5 U.S. Government Standard:
use.
40 CFR Part 503.13 Standards for the Use or Disposal of
NOTE 1—No equivalent ISO specifications exist for this standard.
Sewage Sludge
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2.6 Canadian Government Standard:
2. Referenced Documents
Trade Memorandum T-4-93 Standards for Metals in Fertil-
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2.1 ASTM Standards:
izers and Supplements
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
D5338 Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegrada-
3. Terminology
tion of Plastic Materials Under Controlled Composting
3.1 Definitions—Definitions appearing in this specification
Conditions
are found in Terminology D883, unless otherwise noted.
D6002 Guide forAssessing the Compostability of Environ-
3.1.1 biodegradable plastic—a degradable plastic in which
mentally Degradable Plastics
the degradation results from the action of naturally occurring
microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae.
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This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on
Plastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmen-
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tally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products. Available from Organization for Economic Development, Director of Informa-
Current edition approved Sept. 1, 2004. Published September 2004. Originally tion, 2 rue Andre8 Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.
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approved in 1999. Last previous edition approved in 1999 as D6400 - 99. DOI: Available fromAmerican National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,
10.1520/D6400-04. 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
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For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or Code of Federal Regulations, available from U.S. Government Printing Office,
contact ASTM Customer Service at [e-mail]. For Annual Book of ASTM Washington, DC 20402.
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Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on Available from the Canadian Food Inspections Agency, Fertilizer Section,
the ASTM website. Ottawa, Canada
*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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D6400 – 04
3.1.2 compostable plastic—a plastic that undergoes degra- 5.1.2 Inherent Biodegradation—Alevel of inherent biodeg-
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dationbybiologicalprocessesduringcompostingtoyield
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