In the not-so-distant future it may be possible to throw the plastic parts of old mobile phone on the compost heap, where they will decompose safely and turn into water, carbon dioxide and compost.

Nokia has been developing biodegradable plastics for a couple of years now. The company's aim is to determine how the new materials could facilitate the environmentally sound handling of decommissioned products. Nokia has been involved in the development of biodegradable plastics for the past few years in close co-operation with leading plastics producers. The guiding principles have been that Nokia should not have to compromise on the quality and appearance of its products - meaning that biodegradable plastics should be as durable as the plastics currently used.

The properties of ordinary plastic can be effectively altered by the choice of raw materials and reaction conditions.
The most commonly altered properties are heat endurance, workability and mechanical properties. Plastics have long been designed to be extremely durable, which has made it very difficult to determine the time it takes for them to decompose in nature or at the dump. Biodegradable plastics have been developed to resemble ordinary plastic.

Used plastic goes into the compost

Biodegradable plastics alone cannot solve the problem of handling used plastic, but they will offer a new, environmentally friendly option alongside product recycling and reuse. If a product cannot be recycled, then at least its biodegradable plastic component or package will decompose in a private or shared compost heap along with other organic waste.

Unlike normal plastic, biodegradable plastic can be made from biomass. This makes it possible to create an environmentally friendly life cycle for the product. The carbon dioxide released into the air during the decomposing process of biodegradable plastic can be bound by a growing plant, such as sugar beet, which can be later used as raw material for biodegradable plastic.

The tests Nokia has conducted have provided a lot of useful information on the use of biodegradable plastics in both packaging and injection-moulded product parts. Concerning the injection-moulded parts, development continues, but in packaging Nokia is very close to making a final product.