There are many researches and reports on degradable plastics, but many specific problems cannot be solved, so it is extremely difficult to popularize and the prospect is not optimistic. The reasons are as follows: firstly, the degradable plastic bags can't meet the requirements of customers for loading more things and using them repeatedly because of their low bearing capacity; Second, the degradable plastic bags are dim and yellow in color and low in transparency, giving people a feeling of not being clean enough and ugly, and they are not safe to use; Third, the price is on the high side. Because the merchants give it away for free, the cost is unacceptable.

Another example is to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by EPS fast food lunch boxes. Try to use paper lunch boxes or degradable plastic lunch boxes instead. However, due to the following reasons, it is extremely difficult to popularize: first, EPS has high strength, light weight and good thermal insulation; Second, the price of paper lunch boxes is 1.5~2.5 times that of EPS; Third, even if the degradable PP lunch box is used, its performance is not as good as EPS. The relevant departments in China require the use of plant fiber to make disposable tableware instead of EPS. However, due to the use of polymer thermosol in the molding process of this kind of plant fiber tableware, there are still problems in handling and controlling the pesticide content remaining in the plant fiber tableware.

Therefore, there is still a long way to go to develop degradable plastics. The development of biodegradable plastics industry is facing five major problems. First, the technology is not mature enough, and the performance of degradable plastic products can not fully meet various consumer needs. Although there are many kinds of biodegradable plastics on the market, the mechanical and processing properties of each material are only outstanding in one aspect, and the comprehensive properties still have some shortcomings. At present, the research on the processing of degradable plastic products in China is still weak, and most enterprises focus on the synthesis of materials, ignoring the processing and development of products. Some tableware made of biodegradable plastics are far from the traditional plastic products in terms of heat resistance, water resistance and mechanical strength.