I was dismayed to read Saturday's article on bioplastics ('Sustainable' bioplastic can damage the environment, April 26).
If we already had the ideal long-term solution to dealing with waste in the UK then I would agree that introducing materials, such as bioplastics, which cannot be readily processed in existing facilities is not desirable.
However, this is not the case. While we are starting to move in the right direction, the UK lags way behind many European countries in terms of waste management, and few would suggest that landfill can provide a long-term solution. We are now in the position of having a number of new materials which are suitable for commercial-scale composting, and it is up to the waste management industry and the government to evolve to meet these new challenges.
Let's not forget, bioplastics provide an alternative to oil, which as a commodity can be linked to global unrest and human misery on an epic scale.
Joe Frankel, managing director, Vegware
The plastics industry's future certainly lies in bioplastics, not from agriculture but from fermentation biochemistry. Twenty-five years ago ICI pioneered this technology with Biopol, a polyethylene-like material derived from micro-organisms. The prophetic Biopol had one initial drawback: its cost was an order of magnitude greater than oil-derived polyethylene. But then oil was $40 a barrel.
Today, with oil prices high and sophisticated GM technology, we can envisage giant fermentation vessels filled with micro-organisms, fed by sunshine, converting CO2 to harvestable polyhydroxybutyrate and financed by carbon credits.
However, bioplastics producers still have one hurdle to overcome: making their products non-biodegradable. Plastics recyclers despair as their costs are inflated by having to deal with biodegradable plastics and existing recycling schemes are threatened by bottles and bags that must be sorted out from the recyclable waste stream. Make these plastics easily recyclable, and true sustainability might be brought a little closer.
Colin Williamson, vice-chair, British Plastics Federation Recycling Council
John Vidal reveals the absurdity of supermarket-led regimes that package our foods in various types of plastic apparel under the spurious guise of hygiene and sanitary concerns.
It's not enough to mass produce bio-fuels for motor cars; now it seems we are growing wheat and genetically modified maize for the packaging of convenience foods. This seems to touch new heights of irresponsibility. Direct environmental pollution and global warming emissions demand the same solution: a radical cutting back of all forms of manufactured throwaway products, of which food packaging is one of the worst offenders.
Julian Rose, Whitchurch-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
While oxy-bioplastics might degrade, wasting 90% of a recyclable material, regular plastic can be 100% recycled. Surely the intelligent answer is to use products that are easily recycled? All current non-degradable plastic carrier bags in the UK are exactly that. And despite the political posturing aimed at getting rid of them, they are the most environmentally friendly option available for transporting retail purchases. For example, every single black bin bag has a significant percentage of recycled plastic.
The only reason for banning, taxing or encouraging alternatives to the recyclable plastic carrier bag is to raise money for government and to increase profits of major retailers.
J Neil Young, Glasgow
John Vidal's exposé of not very eco-friendly bioplastic bags was a genuine shocker. I have just bought 10,000 corn starch bags in order to make our Saturday street market the first in London to go plastic-bag free. According to the producers, BioBag, they are made from a material called Mater-Bi which is 100% degradable and certified for use in organic production. I am assured they are also good for my local council's compost heaps. Have I been starched up?
Andrew Veitch, chair, Broadway Market Traders' and Residents' Association
Our problems with plastic
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4 comments:
Oxo-bio plastic CAN be recycled. So can ordinary plastic - but if ordinary plastic gets into the environment it will lie around for decades.
Recycled plastics are OK, but they are not degradable and will still lie around in the environment for decades. However, ordinary plastic and recycled plastic can now be made oxo-biodegradable.
This is done by including d2w additive (see www.degradable.net) which makes it degrade, then biodegrade, on land or at sea, in the light or the dark, in heat or cold, in whatever timescale is required, leaving NO fragments NO methane and NO harmful residues. See www.biodeg.org
Oxo-bio passes the tests in American Standard 6954, and is made from a by-product of oil refining which used to be wasted, so nobody is importing extra oil to make it.
There is little or no additional cost.
Plastics made from crops, are up to 400% more expensive, they are not strong enough for use in high-speed machinery, and they emit methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) in landfill. Also, it is wrong to use land, water and fertilisers to grow crops for bioplastics and biofuels, which drives up the cost of food for the poorest people. See The Guardian 26th April 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/26/waste.pollution?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
The same applies to growing cotton or jute to make durable bags. These rapidly become unhygienic if a tomato is squashed or milk is spilled, and become a durable form of litter, but they can be made from washable oxo-bio plastic to last up to 5 years.
Oxo-bio plastics degrade in the upper layers of a landfill, but they are completely inert deeper in the landfill in the absence of oxygen. They do not emit methane at any stage.
Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce, they are bulky and heavy and are not strong enough. They will also emit methane in landfill
Compostability of plastics is an irrelevance because compostable plastics are far too expensive for everyday use, and there are very few industrial composting facilities. Also, as it is difficult and expensive to separate compostable plastics from other plastics, industrial composters do not want plastic of any kind in their feedstock. Home composting of plastic packaging is dangerous and should not be encouraged, as it is often contaminated with meat, fish, or poultry residues, and temperatures do not rise high enough to kill the pathogens.
There is a another Biodegradable technology which is called "BIOPLAST Biodegradable Plastics."
Which is a better alternative to levying, recycling and reusable canvas grocery bags for those who forgets their canvas bag at home or in the car.
BIOPLAST is a manufacturing company of BIOPLAST Branded Biodegradable Garbage Bags and Fridge Bags for the household markets and for the industry as well as Biodegradable Carrier Bags for the retail sector using their own patented unique formula of bacteria enzyme base substrate as against starch base as used by other manufacturers world over which is not as strong or durable as polymer (plastic) bags and has a cost addition of 300%-400%. Also starch based products can comprise of genetically modified crops (GM Crops) which contains PLA the substitutes can increase emissions of greenhouse gases on landfill sites like Methane and cannot be recycled in Britain.
BIOPLAST is the only Biodegradable technology in the world using bacteria enzyme base substrate which is 100% biodegradable within 6 months after disposal as per ASTM-D 5988-1996 and EN 13432:2000/ISO 14855 standards with the lowest cost addition of 15%-20%.
BIOPLAST biodegradable products are also compostable and hence enhancing the nutritive value of the remaining soil. All the ingredients of BIOPLAST biodegradable plastic products are food grade and non-toxic in nature therefore suitable to be in contact with food products.
Now the local and central Governments must ban all non-biodegradable plastic bags and force all the retailers to use ONLY 100% Biodegradable bags in their stores as an alternative to reusable canvas bags which will be the evidence of their sincere concern for the environment and their commitment to tackling the considerable problem of plastic bag waste and the pollution.
"What will you tell your children? Were you part of the Problem or part of the Solution?"
www.bioplast.com.tr
Reply to BioPlast:
Your 'so called' Bioplast in NOT a Bioplastic, it is NOT certified as biodegradable OR compostable by any of the authorities(OK Compost, BPI, DIN CERTCO) that issue the specifications you claim, in fact the ONLY people that have 'tested' your products are YOU!!
Your BioPlast is made from FOSSIL FUEL based plastic, producing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses worldwide in manufacturing.
Plastics are proven to attract high levels of poisonous chemicals, and your BioPlast will break down into small particles that after collecting poisonous chemicals, could be taken up by the food chain and poison the eco-system, right up to us.
Your BioPlast is ADDING to greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, these are the cause of climate change that is linked to increasing crop failures.
The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday, and yet you are still happy to pollute with your CO2 generating plastics????
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080606/japan_iea_climate_change.html
The answer is NOT Mr BioPLast and his enzymes !!
The answer is plant based plastics ;)
Plant based plastics ARE biodegradable and compostable(many compostable at home) and certified as such.
Plant based plastics REDUCE greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as the plants grow. Growing more plants for plastic would REDUCE greenhouse gases and help reverse climate change AND crop failures.
One study shows that "every pound of soy-based polymers produced instead of petroleum-based removes 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere".
Another study shows that in manufacture, plant based plastics use 30% less energy and create just 25% of the greenhouse gases that fossil fuel plastics do. Also starch based plastics consume 2190 kg of GHG per tonne of plastic whilst the plants are growing.
If you want plant based plastic bags, made from potato and corn starch, and manufactured in the UK,(and cheaper than Tesco or Sainsburys!) head to:
http://www.comp-bio.co.uk
For the plant based plastic just go to:
http://www.stanelcoplc.com
P.S
The same increase in CO2 in the atmosphere from making BioPlast enzyme based plastic, applies to d2w additives, as they are BOTH using the same fossil fuel plastic that 'normal' plastic bags are made from, and it makes NO difference whether they break down in landfill or not, they have ALREADY ADDED HUGE AMOUNTS OF CO2 to the atmoshphere, DOUBLE THEIR OWN WEIGHT of CO2!
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