Biodegradable shopping bags buried for three years still work

- Compostable bags are intended to be disposed of in industrial composters ... regulations in the United States and most other nations require label instructions that clearly describe that.

- If consumers think they are being even more responsible by adding biodegradable bags to their recycling bins, that can destroy efforts to collect conventional plastic bags for remanufacture into new bags, the scientists warn. Chemical additives in biodegradable bags can contaminate the mixture, rendering it unusable.