Biodegradable means being able to decompose by living organisms, and yet plastic is completely
synthetic and therefore NOT POSSIBLY biodegradable?!
And yet, somehow biodegradable plastics exist?
Oxymoron much?!
Plastic is one of the most versatile materials in the world, and it's everywhere, in every
part of world society.
The problem is, plastics are not natural.
Drinks and containers are commonly made of polyethylene terephthalate[1] or PET[2] plastic.
A bottle of soda is designed to be used once and then thrown away, but it takes hundreds
of years for plastic bottles to degrade -- not BIOdegrade, just degrade[3],[4] Bacteria don't
digest plastic in the environment.
Instead, the plastic degrades under UV radiation or ocean punishment and the pieces get smaller
and smaller until they become invisible, but are still part of our environment.
Biodegradable plastics are the plastic industry's way of trying to remedy the pollution problem,
but unfortunately for us the term biodegradable is convolutedly complex.
WHAT IS BIODEGRADABLE According to the International Union of Pure
and Applied Chemistry, there are three ways something can biodegrade: Primary: chemical
alteration of the property of the substance, Environmentally Acceptable: biodegradation
of the undesirable properties of that compound.
and Ultimate: which is complete breakdown of a compound to either fully oxidized or
reduced simple molecules like water, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrate, et cetera.
But they note that some of these things can be more harmful than the plastic itself![5]
WHAT IS "BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC" Knowing all this, biodegradable plastic is
a petrochemical created plastic, where they add things to the plastic to which is supposed
to help them break down in the presence of certain bacteria; there's also bioplastic
-- which isn't confusing at all -- and that's made primarily from corn[6] into a substance
called polylactide acid or PLA[7].
DOES IT WORK?
This corn-based bioplastic needs a very specific cocktail of bacteria, heat and temperature
to break down; so in a landfill it doesn't.
Instead a special facility is required and as of 2009, there were only 42 commercial
composting facilities in the U.S. which could process these so-called biodegradable plastics.
On the other hand, photodegradable or oxydegradable plastics use light, oxygen, moisture and heat
to decay rapidly, sometimes leaving a toxic residue.
In a landfill, where oxygen is scarce, they will sometimes break down to methane gas -- adding
more greenhouse gas to the atmosphere[8],[9].
Studies have shown the additives to plastics which make them biodegradable are pretty much
bunk[10].
the FTC is involved now.
In fact, a Michigan State University[11] study from last month found there was absolutely
no difference in the additive-treated plastic bags and bottles, or regular plastics[12].
Plastic is simply not a natural substance.
While chemists work to have plastics break down sooner, or in the right environments,
the idea that any plastic is biodegradable seems to be incorrect.
Apparently more research is needed for plastics to be truly biodegradable - fortunately it
IS ongoing.
This doesn't mean all containers either!
There are plenty of plant and fiber-based containers on the market which aren't just
biodegradable, but can even be composted!
And, of course, recycling and reduction of your trash is always a viable option![a] So
reduce, reuse, recycle peeps!
Another way to cut your environmental impact is by driving the right vehicle.
The new Toyota Mirai is looking to the future with sustainability in mind; it's fueled by
hydrogen and leaves zero emissions behind!
You could also try switching from plastic bags to paper on your trips to the grocery
store.
Paper comes from trees… and isn't it bad for the environment to cut down trees?
Luckily, this thoroughly handsome devil took us on a science ride to find out which impacts
the environment more -- paper or plastic!