Do Biodegradable Plastics Encourage Littering? A New Report Challenges the Assumptions
A new report, Do Biodegradable Plastics Encourage Littering? A Critical Review: Unpacking the Paradox, was released in May 2025. It challenges a long-standing concern in packaging and circular economy debates and examines the perceived link between biodegradable plastics and littering behaviour.
As a consultancy working closely with businesses on packaging and plastics in the circular economy, we believe that clarity, evidence, and responsibility must guide the development and deployment of biodegradable materials. The insights from this report can help inform more innovative strategies, better policies, and, ultimately, more effective environmental outcomes.
The issue is whether biodegradable plastics—those designed to break down through microbial activity under specific conditions—might unintentionally encourage littering by promoting a false sense of environmental safety. While this assumption has gained visibility in public discourse, policy conversations, and Government consultations, the report finds that the belief is largely based on anecdotes, perceptions, and outdated or inconclusive studies.
Background: The Paradox
In the past few years, numerous industry and societal agents raised concerns that marketing plastics as biodegradable might mislead consumers into believing it's acceptable to discard them in the natural environment.
Given the widespread public strategy to combat plastic pollution through prevention—i.e., stopping plastic from entering the environment in the first place—the idea that biodegradable plastics might undermine these goals has proven a persistent barrier to policy and market development.
The Report's Findings: No Evidence for Increased Littering
The review critically examined the existing evidence base and concluded that no robust empirical evidence exists that biodegradable plastics lead to increased littering.
The report argues that littering behaviour is primarily driven by convenience and situational factors, not the material composition of an item. The likelihood of someone littering is influenced far more by the item's size, use context, and cultural norms than by whether it is biodegradable.
The report also highlights a lack of data on public attitudes toward biodegradable plastics. Where studies have explored perceptions, they show wide variation between countries. For example, Australian stakeholders believed material type influenced littering, whereas Dutch studies found little correlation. In one study, paper and card, widely recognised as biodegradable, were more likely littered than biodegradable plastics.
These findings emphasise the complex and culturally specific nature of littering behaviour and the dangers of generalising findings from one context to another.
Recommendations: Clear Messaging and Responsible Labelling
Despite not finding a clear correlation between biodegradability and littering, the report emphasises that biodegradable plastics must not be seen as a licence to litter. To avoid consumer misunderstanding, the authors make several key recommendations:
Avoid the "biodegradable" label unless it is directly relevant to disposal (e.g., mulch films, personal care products).
Adhere to official guidelines to ensure all claims are accurate and verifiable.
Shift the focus of consumer messaging from biodegradability to the broader and more accessible principle: "No packaging belongs in the natural environment."
These measures would reduce confusion, encourage proper disposal behaviour, and help ensure biodegradable packaging plays a constructive role in sustainable waste systems.
Our Take
Biodegradable plastics can reduce plastic pollution and contribute to better use of natural resources. Still, they are only effective when they are an element of a whole system that enables their actual recovery, which is not widely in place yet. Packaging design, waste infrastructure, consumer education, and behaviour change interventions must all work together if we are to reduce plastic pollution effectively.
Paul East, Head of Packaging, Recycling and Design at RECOUP and a member of the Oakdene Hollins team, adds: “The various ways a so-called biodegradable product can be labelled, add to the confusion. The public do not really know the difference between bio-degradable, compostable, and home-compostable. Also, as the instruction for all these is currently ‘place in the bin’, this means that, when there is a system in place which enables this material to be kept separate, how to communicate that change of message to the consumer will be difficult to say the least.”
“In addition, there has to be a wider understanding about which materials are acceptable. For example, Oxo-degradable materials are banned in some parts of Europe, as some of these use an additive to break down plastic, which, it is claimed, can lead to micro-plastics”.
At Oakdene Hollins, we can help you develop and market the best version of your packaging that works for you and the planet. We are experts in design for recycling, recyclability assessments, LCAs, waste management, recycling technology & infrastructure, reuse and circularity and we have our own lab to conduct trials and tests. Reach out!
Sources:
Do Biodegradable Plastics Encourage Littering? A Critical Review: Unpacking the Paradox (May 2025)
Lead Author: Polly-Ann Hanson (Alder BioInsights, an NNFCC Ltd Company)
Contributing Authors: Gail Shuttleworth, Adrian Higson (Alder BioInsights), Jen Vanderhoven (BBIA)
Littering of BB-Materials