Did you know that eighteen billion pounds of plastic flows into the ocean every year? Did you know that only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been properly recycled? It isn’t new news that plastic is a problem and that recycling isn’t equipped to deal with the problem. This has many asking what now? Enter Bioplastics.
Bioplastics are plastic made from plants or other biological material instead of petroleum. They can be made by extracting sugar from plants like corn and sugarcane to convert into polylactic acids (PLAs) or they can be made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) engineered from microorganisms. The idea is that bioplastics would be able to be compostable making it easier for consumers to recycle and helping ease plastic waste in the environment. However, depending on the type of polymer used the plastic would not be able to be thrown into your backyard composting pit but instead would have to be sent to an industrial composting site.
This isn’t the only issue that bioplastics face, the other issues come in when taking into consideration how they are made. Using a substance like corn for plastic instead of food is a major concern in an already food-scarce world. Along with this issue is the question of where this will be grown, how much land will have to be used, along with how much water, and the list goes on.
It seems that bioplastics may not be the answer that we are looking for. However, the acceleration of this trend will depend on bioplastics developers to deliver a better composting solution. Their approach will be to develop a bioplastic that degrades at a rate closer to that of the food items it contains while still meeting requirements for mechanical strength and more.
The future looks bright as some polymers are already 100% bio based and companies are jumping on board. Lego recently announced their plan that by 2025, packaging will be made for renewable or recycled materials and will be easier for consumers to recycle. Kraft Heinz Co. is also launching new plans for greater sustainability. They expect to make their plastic bottle fully circular (goes back to the Earth) by 2022.
With big companies and consumers alike pushing this trend forward it should only be a matter of time before we see improvements in the challenges that bioplastics face.