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<\/p>\nHardships inspire us to search for novel ideas to overcome the existing challenges. Concerns regarding our environment instigated the research for an alternative material to limit the use of synthetic and non-biodegradable plastic. Even though numerous kinds of biodegradable materials which are untreated natural materials like wood, bamboo, cotton, hemp, etc are available, they have few limitations that make them unpreferable for some specific purposes. Therefore, in recent years, the global fight against plastic usage and increasing interest towards sustainability have highlighted the need for alternatives to plastic that can fulfil the same functions.
\nConventional plastics are made from fossil fuels which are a finite resource. The extraction of fossil fuels and the processes required to transform them into plastic create large amounts of pollution. Carbon emissions, land degradation, air and water pollution, and severe health hazards are the environmental disasters that constitute the huge price that we are unknowingly paying to use plastic that is cheap and convenient.
\nIn addition to the impacts of manufacturing conventional plastic, the major complicated problem arises when we must handle its recycling and disposal issues at a large scale. Globally, currently only around 10% of all plastic is being recycled into various useful and innovative products. However, the remaining 90% of used plastic either ends up in landfills or the oceans and other sensitive natural environments. This dire situation is further magnified as plastics and its additives do not breakdown for hundreds of years and never naturally decompose. Micro-plastics and persistent toxins add fuel to the fire by causing hazards such as bioaccumulation and biomagnification in many species including humans.
\nBiodegradable plastics are being developed as an alternative to conventional plastic. Let us discuss some important myths and facts about \u201cBiodegradable plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Myths:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 At a glance, bio-plastics are miraculous wonder materials. Advantageous Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Bio-plastics are better alternative to conventional plastic. Disadvantageous Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Bio-plastics are not as wonderful as they sound as they too have few disadvantages. Novel Bio-plastics: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Finally, we can be relieved owing to good news that novel kinds of bio-plastics are being developed and marketed in recent times. Hardships inspire us to search for novel ideas to overcome the existing challenges. Concerns regarding our environment instigated the research for an alternative material to limit the use of synthetic and non-biodegradable plastic. Even though numerous kinds of biodegradable materials … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":2330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[574,573,543,557],"class_list":["post-2328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bio-plastics","tag-biodegradable-plastic-myths","tag-plastic-pollution","tag-save-globe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2331,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328\/revisions\/2331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.saveglobe.in\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Bioplastics have all the advantages and none of the terrible downsides.
\n\u2022 They can be easily biodegraded and broken down at any condition.
\n\u2022 All the bioplastics decompose in a home compost bin, a landfill, or the natural environment.
\n\u2022 Bioplastics are best materials to replace conventional plastic in terms of waste and post-consumer pollution.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 They are becoming more readily available and preferable options.
\n\u2022 They are being used in most of the practical purposes such as product packaging, disposable cutlery, toys, and textiles.
\n\u2022 They are made from plant-based raw materials and biodegradable biomass resources such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc..
\n\u2022 Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most widely used bio-plastics. The manufacturing process generates far less pollution than conventional plastics and it is made from a carbon-neutral resource (commercially grown corn).<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Even these pose a problem during their disposal. Technically, they are biodegradable but only in very specific conditions (very high temperatures, high levels of oxygen) that are not found in a home composting bin or any commercial landfill site.
\n\u2022 PLA must be recycled in specialized composting facility, where it can be composted at high temperatures and in the presence of ample oxygen. These facilities are not readily accessible to the average consumer.
\n\u2022 Many PLA items either end up in landfills where they remain intact even after more than 3 years in the natural environment or are sent to plastic recycling facilities which are not equipped to handle them.
\n\u2022 Therefore, unless they are recycled in very specific and not easily accessible composting facility, they are not better than the conventional plastic. They take years to breakdown just like any other plastic.
\n\u2022 Similar to the conventional plastic, bioplastics are also found in the oceans and fresh water resources.
\n\u2022 Unaware about the facts, people do not realize the problem because they are under the misconception that bioplastics are easily and completely biodegradable.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 They are completely biodegradable in less than a year at regular composting conditions.
\n\u2022 They are easily compostable at home, in the natural environment, and landfills.
\n\u2022 Additionally, they are economic and cost-competitive with conventional plastics and PLAs.
\n\u2022 Most of them are being produced using waste materials like agricultural waste or agricultural by-products as raw materials.
\n\u2022 Currently, these new bio-plastics are less widely used than PLA, however, awareness and their advantages will boost their popularity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"