By: Analiese M.
Bio Bottle - Sant’Anna Plant-Based Plastic
Photo by Sunayana Samataray via TheVeganReview.
With the steadily-increasing statistics of ocean pollution every year, it is no surprise that people are constantly looking for new ways to reduce the amount of toxic waste that contributes to the death of 100,000 marine animals a year. Amongst the numerous solutions that have been presented, one of the most tasteful to Americans is to entertain the idea of “bioplastics.” The purpose of these bioplastics is to present the option of composting as well as being able to rid of their presence in a shorter span than that of other fully-based plastics. But, are these plant-based plastics actually helping the environment or making it worse?
Plastics - It’s All About Molecular Structure
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Before this question can be adequately answered, a closer look is needed to analyze the differences in chemical structure between bioplastics and regular plastics. All plastics are created by the process of linking a large sum of monomers together--also known as polymerization. The properties of a plastic all depend on what the structure of the very plastic is. One of the most popular plastics in the world, polyethylene, is the makeup of ethylene (C2H4) molecules bonded together by a double bond with carbon atoms. When catalysts (substances that rapidly increase the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs) are involved, the double-bond can be broken and thus allow for the carbon to link with another ethylene molecule. These branches then connect to a carbon backbone and allow for the creation of either linear or branches formed. Polylactide (a more-common Bioplastic), has the chemical formula of (C3H4O2)n, the n representing the monomer that allows for the polymerization process to occur. The monomer in the Polylactide formula consists of two atoms of oxygen with a methyl group. This contributes to the term “bioplastic” because the methyl group comes from vegetables, the most commonly used in the United States is corn and, in other countries, sugar cane. This differs from regular plastics because regular plastic uses fossil fuels in order to complete their structuralization, whereas bioplastics use plants in order to do so.
A Guide to Common Household Plastics
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The reasons why bioplastics are an inefficient way for consumers to believe they are helping the environment are extremely large and pathetic. For starters, although bioplastics have a marketable name, the most common form of plastic spoken about earlier (polyethylene) has numerous uses and is the most beneficial for consumers because it is cheap and lightweight. In order to make a profit, bioplastics need to mimic these properties of the polyethylene. However, because of the difference in structure, bioplastics are not as favorable because their strength is not the same as polyethylene. In addition to this, consumers are opposed to using their money for the indexing of plastic into their brand simply because of how costly the process is. “Polylactic Acid can be 20 to 50 percent more costly than comparable materials because of the complex process used to convert corn or sugarcane into the building blocks for PLA” (Cho, 2017).
Remember the mentioning of composting earlier? Well, one supposed feat of the inundation of bioplastics into corporations was the ability for microorganisms to break down the material in a way that would not harm the environment. However, this can only be done under certain conditions like high water, sunlight, or heat exposure. When these plastics are introduced to landfills, it is hard for this process to take place, especially when landfills are filled with tons of other garbage. These plastics then become trapped under other loads of garbage and in turn, they never end up completing the biodegradable process--only contributing to the toxic landfill process. In order to break down these plastics properly, this process would require an industrial composting facility based on the different types of biodegradable plastic being used. For example, photodegradable plastic is prone to breaking down under sunlight, whereas oxo-degradable plastic prefers the conditions of heat and light in order to be broken down at a faster rate. This creates a problem in itself because of the lack of composting facilities in the US, as well as the lack of specialization in composting facilities.. “The total confirmed number of full-scale food waste composting facilities in the U.S., based on 2018 data, is 185” (Goldstein, 2019).
If biodegradable plastics are left to fester in landfills, they may even damage the state of our environment even more-so than regular plastics by releasing methane. If these are not discarded properly, these plastics have the chance to release methane into the atmosphere, a problem that is already of public concern. These plastics can also ruin the process of regular recycling by potentially contaminating large amounts of plastic and ultimately risking the chance of the entire lot being rejected.
So, with all of the information presented above, this leads us to the final question: Are plant based plastics helping the environment or not? The answer: no! Between the costs of incorporating natural processes to alter the chemical composition of regular plastics, the risk of putting more methane in the atmosphere, and the excessive need for industrial composting facilities, the price of using bioplastics is too risky and consumers are probably better off just using a reusable water bottle instead.
Discussion Questions:
What are some routines that you can incorporate in your daily life that allow for a positive impact and are environmentally-friendly?
Do you think there could be any other solutions to the plastic issues that we face, without using bioplastics? How would these solutions impact the environment?
Works Cited
13, R. C., Cho, R., Rlk, Fecht, S., M, D., Rick, . . . Pestano, S. (2018, November 20). The Truth About Bioplastics. Retrieved from https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2017/12/13/the-truth-about-bioplastics/
ChemMatters. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.acs.org/chemmatters
Food Waste Composting Infrastructure In The U.S. (2020, June 15). Retrieved from https://www.biocycle.net/food-waste-composting-infrastructure-u-s/
Jim Robbins • August 31, Jim Robbins, Jim Robbins, •, Jim Robbins is a veteran journalist based in Helena, Robbins →, M. A., . . . Pearce, F. (n.d.). Why Bioplastics Will Not Solve the World's Plastics Problem. Retrieved from https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-bioplastics-will-not-solve-the-worlds-plastics-problem
Jim Robbins • August 31, Jim Robbins, Jim Robbins, •, Jim Robbins is a veteran journalist based in Helena, Robbins →, M. A., . . . Pearce, F. (n.d.). Why Bioplastics Will Not Solve the World's Plastics Problem. Retrieved from https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-bioplastics-will-not-solve-the-worlds-plastics-problem