\nWe\u2019ve spend a lot of time researching and pondering these topics. In this blog we will attempt to answer the most common questions on use of bioplastics.<\/span><\/p>\n
Could we give up single use plastic?<\/h2>\n
The best thing would be if we could simply give up single use plastics.\u00a0Refuse, reduce and reuse should always be the priority. Examples of success in reducing use of plastic include<\/span><\/p>\n But for every success story there are 10 failures.<\/span><\/p>\n To change behaviour in a way that is perceived as worse or a sacrifice is hard though. Generally humans don\u2019t like change.<\/span><\/p>\n These changes require effort or even sacrifice by people. Therefore only the most passionate environmental supporters make the change.<\/span><\/p>\n Simply put most people will only change behaviour if everyone else does or if it\u2019s convenient.<\/span><\/p>\n This is why TAPP Water chose to use biodegradable plastics for the filter cartridges for TAPP 2<\/a>. We believe that it’s the easiest way to get people to give up bottled water in an environmentally friendly way.<\/span><\/p>\n Source: Appliance Design 2018<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n These are then turned into plastics using various different methods with the most common and\u00a0seemingly promising being:<\/span><\/p>\n We also expect to see a lot more innovation in the coming years enabling e.g. foodwaste to be turned into bioplastics.<\/span><\/p>\n Currently bioplastics such as\u00a0PLA are about 20 to 50 percent more costly than comparable traditional plastic materials. However, prices are slowly coming down as the technology improves. As demand and production volumes increase the cost should eventually be similar to conventional plastics.<\/span><\/p>\n For the time being though products using bioplastics will generally be a bit more expensive.<\/span><\/p>\n Every technology has its pros and cons.\u00a0The main criticisms of biodegradable plastics are<\/span><\/p>\n A. Farm land use<\/strong><\/span> B. Water use to grow the crops for the raw material\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> But what these studies forget to mention is that the water doesn\u2019t just disappear (it\u2019s part of a circular system) and that crops are often grown in places with abundant water. Having said this water use should be considered when choosing where to source the crop.<\/span><\/p>\n C. Fertilizer, pesticides and other chemicals\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> D. Methane gas release<\/strong><\/span> E. Recycling challenges<\/strong><\/span> Biodegradable” implies that the decomposition happens in weeks to months. Bioplastics that don’t biodegrade that quickly are called “durable”.<\/span><\/p>\n With most bioplastics, decomposition is fast in industrial composting facilities but may take years \u00a0in the natural environment. Therefore consumers need to ensure that bioplastics are disposed correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n To support this it\u2019s also critical that governments and industries provide the infrastructure for industrial composting. However, even if bioplastics end up somewhere else such as a landfill or nature they still have an advantage. They will break down into their natural constituents over time and cause less harm.<\/span><\/p>\n This is where environmental impact analysis gets particularly complicated. Based on most studies plastic have a lower CO2 footprint due to weight and transportation. The only exception is when the glass and content is produced locally which is unusual. Therefore glass is not necessarily better than plastics.<\/span><\/p>\n Bioplastics are not a silver bullet for plastic pollution but they are part of the solution just like electrical cars for transportation.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are the key things to consider when :<\/span><\/p>\n Hope you find this useful. Please contact us for questions, comments and suggestions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Changing behaviour to reduce plastic use is hard<\/h2>\n
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How can we avoid bad plastics with minimal effort?<\/h2>\n
What are biodegradable plastics made of?<\/h2>\n
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Cost of Biodegradable plastics<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the environmental impact of biodegradable plastics?<\/h2>\n
\nRequire a lot of farm land for the raw material. Some even claim that this will\u00a0divert land from foodstock and thereby create a food crisis.<\/span>
\nThe counter argument is that\u00a0the land required to satisfy all the demand for plastic, would only use 10 per cent of agricultural land.\u00a0If you consider the potential to use sidestream or by-products from the food industry, the land use will be considerably less.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThis is often one of the main arguments as the water usage figures for all crops look so extreme. See study in sources below.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nSeveral studies have shown that bioplastics production resulted in greater amounts of pollutants. This is due to the fertilizers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical processing needed to turn organic material into plastic. But just like for other foodstock there are eco-friendly alternatives today that can be used.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nIn the ideal scenario all bioplastics end up in an industrial compost but realistically this is not the case in the short term. Some bioplastics will inevitably end up in\u00a0landfills where, deprived of oxygen, they may release methane. This is a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWhen bioplastics enter the conventional plastic recycling stream they may contaminate the recycling process. Therefore\u00a0separate recycling streams are necessary to be able to properly discard bioplastics that are not composted.<\/span><\/p>\nHow do we dispose biodegradable plastics?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/div>\nWhat about other materials such as glass as an alternative to plastic?<\/h2>\n
Summary<\/h2>\n
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Sources<\/h2>\n