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This can only be a good thing. There are now alternatives to plastic from biodegradable materials such as lobster shells and cactus juice. I'm sure with more

This can only be a good thing. There are now alternatives to plastic from biodegradable materials such as lobster shells and cactus juice. I'm sure with more research and better methods, mother nature can offer more materials to use for consumption tools. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBSzxQLQSpI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBSzxQLQSpI [1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-48497933/how-to-make-biodegradable-plastic-from-cactus-juice https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-48497933/how-to-make-b...

gdcohen 7y ago
And this: https://nextshark.com/banana-leaves-asia-plastic-packaging/ https://nextshark.com/banana-leaves-asia-plastic-packaging/
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Not really a recent development though. In the late seventies, or early eighties there were already biodegradable and compostable plastics. One UK supermarket used one of them for trays and bags around the same time, and printed the fact on every one. I forget whether they were compostable or just biodegradable. Yet eventually that chain switched back to oil derived plastic like everyone else. Presumably price won. Here's one from fermented sugars that ICI came up with in the early 80s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydroxyalkanoates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydroxyalkanoates
the_pwner224 7y ago
PLA plastic is made from just organic materials. It degrades into lactic acid, and is safely used for medical implants. It doesn't degrade naturally at normal temperatures, but can be effectively recycled, composted, or incinerated. Right now it mostly gets thrown away into the environment like most trash, but is a sustainable plastic if handled properly. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic

gdcohen 7y ago

And this: https://nextshark.com/banana-leaves-asia-plastic-packaging/ https://nextshark.com/banana-leaves-asia-plastic-packaging/

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

Not really a recent development though. In the late seventies, or early eighties there were already biodegradable and compostable plastics. One UK supermarket used one of them for trays and bags around the same time, and printed the fact on every one. I forget whether they were compostable or just biodegradable. Yet eventually that chain switched back to oil derived plastic like everyone else. Presumably price won. Here's one from fermented sugars that ICI came up with in the early 80s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydroxyalkanoates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydroxyalkanoates

the_pwner224 7y ago

PLA plastic is made from just organic materials. It degrades into lactic acid, and is safely used for medical implants. It doesn't degrade naturally at normal temperatures, but can be effectively recycled, composted, or incinerated. Right now it mostly gets thrown away into the environment like most trash, but is a sustainable plastic if handled properly. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic