Persistence in soil of microplastic films from ultra-thin compostable plastic bags and implications on soil Aspergillus flavus population.

•In many cases, plastic bags are being replaced with compostable plastic bags.•Industrial composting processes do not completely remove film fragments.•Compost is thus a potential source of fragments from compostable plastic bags.•Compostable plastic fragments are then deteriorated in soil to microplastics.•Compostable microplastic results in an increase number of aflatoxigenic fungi.