For the past year, I have been using a plastic composter in my back yard. I have been able to churn out some pretty great compost, but I'm now noticing that there is flaking from the compost lid and sides and I'm suspicious that it could be plastic from the composter. I know that this is not supposed to happen (and my organic farmer brother up in Vermont is skeptical that this could be happening), but it really looks like it could be a film of plastic that is flaking off. It comes off in powdery flakes and the flakes have a definite shimmer to them. The flakes are brown (as is the com poster) and could also be a filmy layer from the steamy compost, but I hate to add it to my vegetable beds until I am sure that it is not plastic.

Has this happened to any other gardeners in TX? Could the combination of TX summer heat and the heat generated from my compost really be enough to degrade the plastic?

Thanks!