1.1 This practice covers the exposure of plastics to a specific test environment. The test environment is a laboratory-scale reactor that simulates a landfill with enhanced biological activity. Biological activity is enhanced by adding moisture, recirculating leachate, and heating to 35°C. Plastic exposure occurs in the presence of a media undergoing anaerobic degradation. The standard media used in the practice simulates a municipal solid-waste stream. The practice allows for the use of other media to represent particular waste streams. This practice provides exposed specimens for further testing and for comparison with controls. This test environment does not necessarily reproduce conditions that could occur in a particular landfill.

1.2 Changes in the material properties of the plastic and controls should be determined using appropriate ASTM test procedures. Changes could encompass physical and chemical changes such as disintegration and degradation.

1.3 This practice may be used for different purposes. The interested parties therefore must select the following: exposure conditions from those allowed by this practice; criteria for a valid exposure, that is, minimum or maximum change requirements for the simulated landfill environment and controls; and magnitudes of material properties changes required for the plastic specimens.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazards statements are given in Section 8.