In the wake of an evidence review coordinated by AE Cardiff, scientists are conducting a unique public experiment to discover how long biodegradable plastics actually take to break down in the cool waters of Northern Europe – and anyone in the world can watch in real-time.

In this international experiment, hosted by Akvariet i Bergen (Bergen Aquarium), samples of several plastics labelled as being ‘biodegradable’ have been immersed in a tank, in conditions that replicate those found in the fjords of western Norway – from the water temperature, to the types of fish. The aim is to discover how long the biodegradation process takes and whether the location of the samples within the tank makes any difference. A 24/7 webcam at built2biodegrade.eu allows viewers to observe the process happening in real-time.
Continue reading “Scientists launch livestream experiment to reveal true timescales for ‘biodegradable’ plastics”