The degree and rate of anaerobic biodegradability of a plastic material in this test method may be predictive of the time period required to eliminate that plastic from the environment depending on the similarities of the environments. With increasing use of plastics, disposal is a major issue. This test method may be useful to estimate the degree and persistence of plastics in biologically active anaerobic disposal sites. This test method determines the rate and degree of anaerobic biodegradation by measuring the evolved volume of carbon dioxide and methane, as a function of time of exposure to anaerobic-digester sludge.

Anaerobic sewer-digester sludge from treatment of clarifier sludge at a waste-water treatment plant that treats principally municipal waste is an acceptable active anaerobic environment (available over a wide geographical area) in which to test a broad range of plastic materials. This test method may be considered an accelerated test with respect to a typical anaerobic environment, such as landfill sites that plastics encounter in usual disposal methods because of the highly active microbial population of anaerobic-digester sludge.