Biodegradable plastic - advantages?
I've heard that they need to be sent to special composting sites, because in the landfill otherwise they will not decompost.
If this is true - how do these composting sites operate in terms of picking up the used plastic, and where do they collect it from? - I have never seen special bins for biodegradable plastics at the recycling sites!
And what are the advantages in this case because if the biodegradable plastic would not decompost in the landfill - it is not much different from any other recyclable types of plastic - they all need to be cleaned, sorted, picked up and sent to recycling site (or composting site).
And what is the cost difference between the two, if you know?
If using for a small take-away and juice bar - what are
advantages ans disadvantages?
Answer:
(Disclaimer and Truth in Advertising: I have worked in the plastic packaging industry, so I'm biased, but I feel I have a pretty good grip on the subject. I don't like filling landfills any more than the next person)
Biodegradable plastics are largely a misnomer in most consumer applications for many of the reasons you have listed. Landfills are purposefully constructed to prevent decomposition and leaching of breakdown products. There is the old story of the research by William Rathje, who runs the Garbage Project, who did excavations in landfills and found perfectly readable newspapers that were 40 years old. Also, to "Benp's" assertion that most material in landfills is plastic- BUNK!
PAPER accounts for 40% of landfill use (18% newspaper alone). In general, containers and packaging is 31%, but this includes metal, glass, plastic, paper, paperboard, etc). Check out the EPA report -it breaks things down pretty well.
The BEST things do do are to REDUCE- if you have a choice, buy the most product with the least packaging; REUSE-use things like sandwich bags or plastic tubs over or in a new role like storing leftovers (This sounds kind of lame, but in industrial settings this can be a major savings in material usage); RECYCLE-everything you can (steel, aluminum, PET, PAPER, WOOD, lawn waste).
Recycling of food containers often gets a bad rap because it is rarely recycled into new food containers, with the exception of PET bottles. This is due to the chemical properties of plastics that they tend to break down with each cycle through the system, and recycled materials are invariably inferior to new, or are patently unsafe for food use. A growing amount of the plastic recycling stream is being sent into making durable products like picnic benches, trash cans, decking material, seat cushion stuffing. As more and more of these products become commercially viable, this business will continue to grow. Ecological fanatics will typically decry the marketplace/economic approach, but it is the ONE PROVEN system that will truely deliver results. Prudent legislation that helps boost the nascent recyling industry might help, but in the end it has to be the marketplace- and that means YOU.
yes. most material in landfills is plastic.if it can decompose then there will be more landfill space and trees won't need to be cut down to make room for more landfills.
Hi. There is a difference between "biodegradable" and "degradable" plastics. Truly "biodegradable" plastics can be added to compost bins and will degrade with the rest of the organic matter without harming it. It is usually made of corn starch or other food derivatives. "Degradable" plastic will break down in time and when exposed to, say, UV rays for long periods of time, but of course if it is buried in landfills it will not degrade or will take even longer to do so. Check out the FAQ section in this site:
http://www.biobags.co.uk/
If you do a Google search for "biodegradable plastic products" you'll find what's currently available. The range is growing all the time and it can be expected that costs will fall accordingly, but as far as I know standard plastics are still cheaper to produce and so you have to evaluate cost against environmental considerations when deciding what to chose for your packaging. A good alternative, for, packaging eg. sandwiches, could be recycled board material with transparent biodegradable plastic windows. I believe M&S use them. The whole lot can then be composted.
Well there are things you can do to help reduce the amount of harm you are causing the enviroment, you can do this by offsetting your carbon on websites such as; www.co2debt.com . On these sites you are able to prevent climate change by funding ethical reforestation projects. I personally found that www.co2debt.com was the best site for this because of their strong relationships with other non-profit organizations. i have found after looking around the web that this is the best thing the average person can do to help the enviroment.
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