Compostable plastics could be part of a solution to the world's plastic waste problem. But currently these materials need industrial composting facilities to break down. In a step toward making a home-compostable plastic, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have augmented polylactide (PLA) -- a widely used biobased and compostable polymer-- with a small amount of an additive. Tests show it helps the material degrade substantially faster without sacrificing critical qualities like streng