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Writer's pictureStem To Go

How 'Biodegradable' Plastic is Harming our Environment

I would argue that 'biodegradable' packaging is just as pernicious to the environment as plastic packaging - perhaps even more. It's overly expensive for the consumer and requires temperatures of more than 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) to break down. Since 'compostable' is used interchangeably with 'biodegradable', many people harm their gardens and the environment trying to compost them in soil where it will not break down.




At the University of Plymouth, Imogen Napper and Richard Thompson tested compostable, biodegradable and conventional polythene plastic bags in three different natural environments: buried in the ground, outdoors exposed to air and sunlight, and submerged in the sea. None of the bags broke down completely in any the environments tested. In particular, the biodegradable bag survived in soil and sea almost unscathed. This is because landfill already blocks natural degradability of materials (for example, old newspapers have been found looking brand new because of this and they should have decomposed a long time ago). This is also because of the previously mentioned 60 degrees Celsius needed to process ‘biodegradable’ materials. These are not conditions that can be provided by being buried in the ground or in a compost heap at home.


Large-scale composting facilities are needed to decompose ­biodegradable materials. Biodegradable plastics can't even be recycled (because they're are made with 5% corn starch or vegetable oil) so they must go to landfill - exactly like any other packaging made out of fossil fuels.

Biodegradation will not solve any landfill shortage, says the Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-based Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC).

Without even mentioning the expenses, you can see why ‘biodegradable’ plastics are not the solution at all.

At the moment, all "state-of the art’" biodegradable plastics are made with 5% corn starch or vegetable oil. Because of this, they cannot be recycled because the starch or oil additive compromises the quality of recycled plastics, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Other alternatives, such as plant-based plastic made from a variety of sources such as corn, which is broken down into PLA (polylactic acid), are unrecyclable and need high temperatures to degrade. Mushroom root (Mycelium) is another option, but it would need lots of agricultural land for people to grow mushrooms for materials. Paper and plastics made of stone sound great, however, these are still mixed with real plastic. When degraded, these microplastics can be very harmful to the environment, the sea and humans because of the contamination they can cause. Palm leaf packaging contributes to destructive deforestation because of its need for palm oil, which destroys the habitat of many species.





Many "biodegradable "items you may use are worth knowing the risks of.


  • biodegradable plastic bags and biodegradable water bottles - these may sound eco-friendly, but mostly, it's incredibly difficult to reach the temperatures needed to dissolve them in compost. I recommend durable tote bags and reusable water bottles

    • bamboo straws - though these are portrayed as a better alternative to plastic straws, their carbon footprint is high (bamboo mostly being grown in China. I recommend using steel straws, only when necessary.


However, there are alternatives that are in the works. The study titled ‘Incorporation of yellow onion peel extract into the funoran‐based biodegradable films as an antioxidant packaging material’ by Ahreum Ju and Kyung Bin Song proves that "the funoran‐based film incorporated with yellow onion peel extract, which was prepared from underutilised red algae and discarded onion peel, can be used as an antioxidant biodegradable packaging material."



 

By: Hemlata Pant

 

Sources:


Thomlinson, Isabel. “Plastic (Not) Fantastic: Why Even Biodegradable Plastic Can Still Harm the Environment.”The Independent, 16 May 2019, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/plastic-biodegradable-environment-pollution-a8908226.html.


“World’s Leading Onion Producing Countries.”AtlasBig, www.atlasbig.com/en-gb/countries-by-onion-production. Accessed 10 July 2020.


“Biodegradable Plastics Confuse the Public.”ICIS Explore, 11 Feb. 2008, www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2008/02/11/9099296/biodegradable-plastics-confuse-the+.


Ju, Ahreum, and Kyung Bin Song. “Incorporation of Yellow Onion Peel Extract into the Funoran‐based Biodegradable Films as an Antioxidant Packaging Material.”International Journal of Food Science & Technology, vol. 55, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1671–78.Crossref, doi:10.1111/ijfs.14436.


“5 Ecofriendly & Biodegradable Alternatives to Plastic.”#PlasticPolluters, 13 Jan. 2019, plasticpolluters.org/alternatives-to-plastic.


“5 Plastic Alternatives Doing More Harm Than Good — and What to Use Instead.”Global Citizen, 9 Apr. 2019, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/plastic-alternatives-doing-harm.


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