Plastic is strong, durable, versatile, lightweight, safe and inexpensive. It is made from a by-product of oil refining which would otherwise be wasted, so nobody is importing oil to make plastic products.
Positive Plastics has found the answer to this problem. Our additive put into the plastic at the extrusion stage will make the finished product “oxo-biodegradable” so that it will degrade and disappear in a short timescale, leaving no fragments, no methane and no harmful residues.
Degradability is not a disposal option – you can still re-use and recycle – it is low cost insurance against the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment.
Biodegradable products break down through the action of a naturally occurring microorganism, such as bacteria, fungi etc. over a period of time. These products are usually made from plant or animal sources. Examples of biodegradable include paper, vegetable scraps and some forms of plastics made from ingredients such as corn starch.
Traditional plastic is a particularly versatile and resilient material – indeed its strength and durability are some of the reasons for its success in all kinds of uses in our daily lives. However, when plastic products reach the end of their useful life they can lie around or float around in the environment for decades if not collected and properly disposed of.
There is no doubt that education has a role to play in encouraging people to deal responsibly with all kinds of waste material, but in the case of plastic waste Degradable provides low cost insurance against irresponsible disposal.
It’s important to understand the difference between these bags and the impact they can have on the environment. Replacement of normal plastic with degradable and biodegradable bags is not encouraged by governments as part of the planned phase-out, as neither is a solution to plastic bag litte.
Biodegradable plastic Definition
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that will decompose in natural aerobic (composting) and anaerobic (landfill) environments. Biodegradation of plastics can be achieved by enabling microorganisms in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the environment. They may be composed of either bioplastics, which are plastics whose components are derived from renewable raw materials, or petroleum-based plastics which utilize an additive. The use of bio-active compounds compounded with swelling agents ensures that, when combined with heat and moisture, they expand the plastic’s molecular structure and allow the bio-active compounds to metabolize and neutralize the plastic.
Environmental benefits of biodegradable plastics depend upon proper disposal
Biodegradable plastics are not a panacea, however. Some critics claim that a potential environmental disadvantage of certified biodegradable plastics is that the carbon that is locked up in them is released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. However, biodegradable plastics from natural materials, such as vegetable crop derivatives or animal products, sequester CO2 during the phase when they’re growing, only to release CO2 when they’re decomposing, so there is no net gain in carbon dioxide emissions[citation needed]. However, certified biodegradable plastics require a specific environment of moisture and oxygen to biodegrade, conditions found in professionally managed composting facilities. There is much debate about the total carbon, fossil fuel and water usage in processing biodegradable plastics from natural materials and whether they are a negative impact to human food supply. Traditional plastics made from non-renewable fossil fuels lock up much of the carbon in the plastic as opposed to being utilized in the processing of the plastic. The carbon is permanently trapped inside the plastic lattice, and is rarely recycled. There is concern that another greenhouse gas, methane, might be released when any biodegradable material, including truly biodegradable plastics, degrades in an anaerobic (landfill) environment. Methane production from these specially managed landfill environments are typically captured and burned to negate the release of methane in the environment. Some landfills today capture the methane biogas for use in clean inexpensive energy. Of course, incinerating non-biodegradable plastics will release carbon dioxide as well. Disposing of biodegradable plastics made from natural materials in anaerobic (landfill) environments will result in the plastic lasting for hundred of years.
Advantages and disadvantages
Degradation of oil-based biodegradable plastics may release previously stored carbon as carbon dioxide. Starch-based bioplastics produced from sustainable farming methods can be almost carbon neutral but could have a damaging effect on soil, water usage and quality, and result in higher food prices.
Environmental concerns; benefits
Through a range of different projects, we’ve developed extensive knowledge of working with video and audio. Our in house production and film making assistants are experienced in working on set or within a blue screen studio, and they excel at taking work to the next level during post production.