By Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business. By: Maria Trimarchi, Patrick J. Kiger & Vicki M. Giuggio Vegea is now in the process of scaling up its production capacity to manufacture the grape-waste apparel items for sale to clothing stores, so you soon should be able to add grape waste to your wardrobe. About 40 percent of the waste is discarded packaging [source: Parker]. Polylactic acid, or PLA, is another aliphatic polyester and one that can be made from lactic acid, which is produced via starch fermentation during corn wet milling. There have been instances where sea turtles have had plastic straws lodged painfully in their nostrils. Though these … Eating out and getting takeaway often comes with more than just food. Alternatively, palm leaf or bamboo pulp plates. You name it, and starch has probably been combined with it, albeit with varying degrees of success. Or try a stick of celery, carrot or cucumber. These biodegradable plastics closely resemble man-made polypropylene. If you put wet leaves in a starch bag for a bit, you'll have a mess when you go to pick up the bag. Plastic is everywhere and it doesn't disappear. Reasons for choosing not plastic baby bottles include: Health concerns with BPA and other chemicals that can leach from the plastic baby bottle into your babies food. That's the case with polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polyesters, the two main members of which are polyhydroxybutrate (PHB) and polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV). The packaging industry is the largest converter of virgin plastics, and many of these are only used once for food packaging, shopping bags and beverage bottles. They’re lightweight, so once they’re dropped or discarded, plastic straws easily blow into waterways and enter our oceans. While some people are busy developing plastic substitutes, others are bent on making conventional thermoplastics biodegradable. 1. Glass bottles and jars potentially are 100 percent recyclable, and the glass in them can be reused endlessly, without any loss in quality and purity. They promote oxidation processes that break the plastic down into brittle, low-molecular-weight fragments. Text available under Creative Commons licence. Sometimes going back in time is a good thing. Back in 1907, Leo Baekeland invented a new material, Bakelite, that was the first true synthetic plastic, composed of molecules not found in the natural world. Studies show that replacing plastic with alternative materials would help lessen environmental damage. While convenient, they’re discarded after just one use. Forget plastics made from milk. If the plastic is sent to an industrial composting facility where it's continually subjected to heat and microbes, it can degrade in two to three months. Switch to biodegradable alternatives to plastic in the garden and avoid contributing to the pollution and harm to wildlife caused by plastic waste, says Sally Nex. Did Americans Find a Way to Make Money With Lignin? " Next time you order takeaway, make a special request to opt out and say no to the additional plastic. Reusable glass Keep Cups, porcelain mugs or have your coffee dining in. You can also help encourage your favourite cafes and food retailers to switch to eco-friendly and compostable alternatives. PHAs already are used in a variety of products, including disposable package for foods, beverages and various consumer products. Plastic objects are all around us, from the food containers and bottles of milk and soda that we buy at the supermarket, to the countertops in our kitchens and the linings of our cooking pans. (Nov. 11, 2018) https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/chicken-plastic-and-wine-leather-giving-waste-new-life.html, The Economist. (Nov. 11, 2018) http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/columns/4484642-national-view-replacements-plastic-straws-have-their-own-problems, Johnson, Todd. Natural replacements for plastic could help reverse the growing tide of plastic waste in the oceans (Credit: Getty Images) Mushrooms consist of a network of filaments called hyphae. The majority of these are made with 100% recycled paper, are easily recyclable, and are naturally biodegradable. Horizon. They're also being used in medical applications such as sutures, and to make the agricultural foil used to store hay bales [source: Creative Mechanisms]. Use them to wrap cheese, half of a lemon, a crusty loaf of bread, a sandwich, or cover a bowl. The rest ends up in landfills and in the world's oceans, where plastic pollution is ravaging wildlife and washing up on beaches. Learn More. July 25, 2018. March 31, 2011. So what do you do? (Nov. 11, 2018) https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics, The South African Plastics Recycling Organization. We wear clothes fashioned from plastic fibers, sit on plastic chairs, and travel in automobiles, trains and airplanes that contain plastic parts. All newborn mammals survive on it. Switch to reusable bamboo utensils, a travel cutlery set that you can take with you wherever you go or bring your own from home! At NonPlastik we began with bamboo straws, having become aware of the landfill and ocean pollution the conventional plastic straws are causing. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. It’s important to note that most takeaway coffee cups can’t be recycled as they’re made with a plastic lining. You can get them festooned with patterns or printed with the name or your bank/gym/frozen yogurt shop. Plastic free alternatives: Stainless steel straws, bamboo straws, pasta straws and rice straws (yes, they’re a thing!). 1: Starch-based Polymers. Silicon Storage Bags – The closest alternative to actual plastic storage bags. Alternatively, palm leaf or bamboo pulp plates. enquiries@wwf.org.au or call 1800 032 551. These days, our recyclable waste often ends up stockpiled in landfill, littered by the sides of roads, in our parks, nature and oceans. , bamboo cotton buds, organic cotton makeup pads or a reusable silicon swab like, . There are some great alternatives to plastic bin liners and bags, including: Lining the bin with a few sheets of newspaper; Using certified compostable bin liner bags (Nov. 11, 2018) http://www.epi-global.com/en/epi-technology.php, Goldsberry, Clare. 10 Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth, Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. Here are the 10 worst single-use plastics and some eco-friendly alternatives you can swap them for! They end up in the trash, on our beaches and in our oceans. Around 2.6 billion coffee cups end up in landfills each year. It looks like a regular plastic air pouch, but EarthAware™’s packing materials are made with a special type of plastic that can biodegrade in just 5 years. Plastic free alternatives: Reusable glass or bamboo stirrers, or spoons! Creativemechanisms.com. This particular biopolymer comes from pulp-based lignin, a renewable resource. Without it, there would be no ice cream. Many organizations are now pursuing environmentally friendly foam options. At WWF, we work in Australia and in our Asia-Pacific backyard to protect endangered species and habitats, meet the challenge of climate change, and build a world where people live in harmony with nature. Sept. 20, 2018. we’re asking our Australian leaders to start fixing this urgent waste crisis by phasing out the 10 worst single-use plastics. Bamboo is a natural and renewable material that comes with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. The Christian Science Monitor. Well, the consequences are potentially catastrophic— recycled polyethylene irrigation pumps that are contaminated with PDC additives aren't likely to last very long. Scientists have found a way make the protein less susceptible to cracking, thanks to a silicate clay called sodium montmorillonite. So what’s the deal with single-use plastics? Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Copyright © 2021 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. German researchers have incorporated this plastic substitute into a variety of items including toys, golf tees and even hi-fi speaker boxes. By throwing in additives called prodegradant concentrates (PDCs). Here are some stylish storage alternatives to keep you organized with style. Because it's made of wood, it can be recycled as wood, too. My friend Debbie has a beautiful, lush, happy growing garden. But unlike conventional petroleum-based plastics, PLA has some big advantages. These days, our recyclable waste often ends up stockpiled in landfill, littered by the sides of roads, in our parks, nature and oceans. August 2006. From plastic tubs to shiny wrappers and plastic sachets within pl ... Make an easy eco-friendly New Year's resolution this year. Keep in mind, though, that adding more starch also affects the properties of the plastic. But although it's ideal for jewelry that even Queen Mary admired, casein-based plastic is too brittle for much more than adornment. Duluth News Tribune. Image: Choose Water. A range of straws are marketed as made from "biodegradable plastics" and, whether that's PLA (polylactic acid), chitosan, or another non-fossil plastic alternative… Progress in Polymer Science. avoid pre-packaged meals. It comes in two designs - one for swabbing your ears and one for makeup. The result? The modern milk-based plastic doesn't crack as easily, thanks to that silicate skeleton, and they even made the stuff less toxic by substituting glyceraldehyde for formaldehyde during the process. Glass isn't made from fossil fuels — it's made from sand. Plastic cutlery and plastic bags often come in the mix. A recent study by research firm HIS Markit found that the value of biodegradable plastics sold worldwide exceeded $1.1 billion in 2018, and predicted that it would rise to $1.7 billion by 2023 [source: Goldsberry]. JUST WATCHED 4. Molasses: one sweet source for helping to produce plastics. Our team will be in touch soonHere are other ways to help WWF. This is important says founder Duygu Yilmaz, since starch-based bioplastics made from corn are often more expensive than petroleum-based plastics are therefore not a viable alternative. PHAs biodegrade via composting; a PHB/PHV composite (92 parts PHB/8 parts PHV, by weight) will almost completely break down within 20 days of cultivation by anaerobic digested sludge, the workhorse of biological treatment plants [source: Nolan-ITU Pty Ltd]. While lightweight and convenient, foam cups (made from polystyrene) can’t be collected by most council kerbside recycling services and often end up as trash in landfills. (Nov. 11, 2018) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110331142204.htm, ScienceDaily. Production costs have mostly put PHA in the shadow of cheaper, petroleum-based plastics, but a little creativeness in sourcing inexpensive raw materials may make it a top choice soon. "National View: Replacements for plastic straws have their own problems. " Today, it's all plastic. 5 Plastic Alternatives Doing More Harm Than Good — and What to Use Instead. Here are 10 of them. There are a lot of ways to donate to support our work protecting wildlife and conserving the environment. Cocktail stirrers are a fun accessory for drinks, but most are made from plastic and only used once before the novelty of them fades and they’re thrown away. Bags of pressed out grape skins from a winery are about to be discarded in the south of France. And if you are buying a takeaway coffee and can’t use your reusable cup, say no to the lid! The amount of time, energy and effort that goes into producing, exporting and importing these products just doesn’t add up - especially if they’re made to last forever. Boosting biodegradability means plastic bottles like these won't hang around our environment for quite so long. So what happens if we accidentally recycle those biodegradable bags? Keep yours in a convenient spot so you don't forget them. In 2019, award-winning Biolive was chosen to represent Turkey at the United Nations Development Programme. May 2008. Dec. 14, 2010. July 11, 2018. If you have any questions about your donation, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly Supporter Services team either by email: Reusable shopping bags festooned with whatever pattern or logo you like are all over the place. Bee's Wrap as a reusable alternative to plastic wrap and cling wrap. Biodegradable plastic. Plastic free alternatives: Reusable glass Keep Cups, porcelain mugs or have your coffee dining in. Bioplasticnews.com. Smithsonian Magazine. (Nov. 11, 2018) http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/programs/keep-plastic-out-pacific, EPI Web site. 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year. We can't let nature go to waste. A plastic replacement window can provide benefits such as cost savings, increased strength and creative freedom to your home or business. Around 40% of plastics consumed are single-use. The recent discovery that microbeads (those tiny plastic beads found in many face and body scrubs) are polluting the Great Lakes has caused us to seriously rethink the gentle exfoliant. Ba "Degradable & Biodegradable Plastic Bags." Why not go herbal and try a stick of rosemary? Maria Trimarchi, Patrick J. Kiger & Vicki M. Giuggio In reality, any type of bag will do, whether it's meant to carry groceries or not. It included dresses, shoes and bags made of the grape waste material. No wonder plastic bags seem omnipresent. . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Some options for containers include glass containers, stainless steel lunch boxes and mason jars. Biodegradable plastics look and feel exactly like the plastic products we're encouraged to recycle. ( Nov. 11, 2018) https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pha-polyhydroxyalkanoates, Ceurstemont, Sandrine. Liquid wood is made from a byproduct of paper mills, like the one pictured. Jan. 22, 2017. "Sweet and Biodegradable: Sugar and Cornstarch Make Environmentally Safer Plastics." Times have changed. Most food outlets will happily put the food directly into your own reusable container if you ask. Many parents are switching to safe non-plastic alternatives. "Frequent Questions regarding EPA's Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling. " How? Find effective plastic that looks like glass at A&C Plastics. The plastic straws are also causing substantial damage to the marine wildlife. Once upon a time, both moms and milkmen filled glass bottles with milk. Also, as demand for alternatives to plastic rises, more options will become available. The next three entries on this list are all biodegradable plastics called aliphatic polyesters. Weed Barrier Alternatives to Plastic and Landscape Fabric (Frugal Solutions Too) This post may contain affiliate links. A 2017 study found that switching from conventional plastic to PLA would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent [source: Cho]. This renewable resource doesn't contain chemicals that can leach into your food or body. Everyone hands them out, and they come in canvas, woven plastic fiber, hemp, cotton and even leather. This company thinks its plastic alternative can help solve climate change. We don’t all have the luxury of garages, attics and basements to hide all those plastic bins full of ‘stuff’ that seem to accumulate with life. Glass Storage with Stainless Lids – Another great storage option that is plastic free, has a stainless lid and can be used to re-heat food in the oven. And if you are buying a takeaway coffee and can’t use your reusable cup. 4: PCL Polyesters. (Nov. 11, 2018) https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/frequent-questions-regarding-epas-facts-and#PlasticBags, Environmental Protection Agency. © WWF-Australia 2018, All rights reserved.