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By Tim Sprinkle
Sep 02, 2025
The modern world generates a lot of trash.
As of 2023, cities globally were producing more than 2.1 billion metric tons of solid waste every year according to the U.N., a figure that is on track to reach 3.8 metric tons by 2025. Managing this waste is already costing some $252 billion per year, not to mention the costs related to pollution, local health impacts, and poor waste-disposal practices. Food is a growing part of this problem. In the U.S., food accounts for some 22% of municipal solid waste according to KeepMassBeautiful.org, and is one-third of all waste worldwide, contributing to methane emissions and greenhouse gas production.
One possible solution is composting, which is a natural process that recycles organic material into a nutrient-rich soil additive that can improve soil quality and help with moisture retention. Rather than ending up in a landfill, composting can help cities and towns address solid-waste problems in a proactive way that diverts methane-releasing waste from landfills – be it compostable packaging, food waste, or other organic materials – while simultaneously returning nutrients to the soil in the form of compost.
To help support these efforts, ASTM International’s committee on waste management (D34) recently introduced two new standards. Developed by the subcommittee on treatment, recovery, and reuse (D34.03), these standards outline test methods for determining the effective breakdown of certified compostable products in real-world composting facilities. Both are intended to help compost facilities better determine how effective their processes are in breaking down compostable products ranging from paper goods to leftover food.
“These two new field test methods will be useful for composting facility operators, system designers, policymakers, and product/packaging manufacturers, who are all asking what conditions are needed to successfully break down certified compostable products in real-world composting facilities,” says Rhodes Yepsen, committee member and executive director at the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). “Because composting is not a standardized process, these test methods provide a critical tool by defining in-field composting conditions that must be monitored and reported to understand how these variables impact the breakdown of compostable products.”
Both new standards outline test methods that measure the level of disintegration of compostable items under set, in-field composting conditions:
Both also assess disintegration only, which is one of several requirements for determining the overall compostability of a product. The difference between the two standards is in the preparation of the sample: D8619 tests compostable items within a container (such as a mesh bag), while D8618 tests them out in the open (as when added to a compost pile). The container method is most commonly used at facilities where a container remains intact during testing and is removed and reloaded as needed.
Both standards are intended to complement lab-based testing by helping to build confidence that items tested or certified in the lab will break down in real-world composting facilities. ASTM originally developed compostability standards based on both lab and in-field research in the 1990s, establishing tiered testing for biodegradation, disintegration, and plant toxicity.
As Yepsen explains, “These two standards outline clear instructions for evaluating the ability of a composting facility to break down certified compostable products that are becoming more popular with consumers and businesses, such as food scrap bags and compostable food-service items like cups, bowls, and takeout containers. This is important if we are going to have the right infrastructure to successfully manage compostable products alongside food scraps.”
Given the complexity and far-reaching impact of these standards, D34 began work on them starting in 2022 alongside partners from across industry. This included the Compostable Field Testing Program, which provided years of experience and the ability to beta test the methods with the support of BPI and the Composting Consortium, an initiative of Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy.
Adds Yepsen on the future of these new standards: “We encourage participation to help strengthen these test methods over time, especially when people have followed the test method and can share practical feedback on where text was confusing or has gaps.” ●
Tim Sprinkle is a freelance writer based in Colorado Springs, CO. He has written for Yahoo, The Street, and other websites.
