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We have a big problem and I think you already know what it is. The entire world uses far too much plastic at the moment and we need to do something about it. I’m not trying to say we should do away with it altogether because that would be crazy, but if we can replace it with alternatives it’s something we must look into.

You won’t notice any difference to your life, but I’m sure future generations of your family will be pretty miffed because the planet they live on is destroyed. We actually do have a few tricks up our sleeves and I’m going to let you know what those are today.

Glass

Do you know how much sand we have available on earth? Not only do we have a huge amount on land, but there is more than a little lying under the sea. Fossil fuels are a different ballgame altogether and I’m sure you’re aware it won’t be long before we run out. Unfortunately plastic is usually derived from the limited amount of fossil fuels we have, so maybe you should use more glass. Glass kitchen bowls and jars is a good place to start, because we use too much plastic in the kitchen.

Liquid wood

Don’t worry because we’re not going to start cutting down trees so we can melt them down. Liquid wood is simply the name we give to a new biopolymer that is giving us all hope. It’s made from pulp-based lignin and it’s also a renewable resource which is always a good thing. The great thing about liquid wood is the fact it’s biodegradable, whereas petroleum-based plastic most certainly is not. You probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway since it acts, feels, and looks like plastic.

Milk protein

When you were a baby you drank milk and now that you’re an adult you probably drink it on a regular basis. Even if you don’t drink it from a glass you enjoy it every time you visit the ice cream parlor. It’s important to us and it’s about to become even more so in the future. Scientists are looking at ways of using the casein found in milk to produce a material almost the exact same as polystyrene, plus it’s another product that will be biodegradable too.

PHA polyesters

Now we’re starting to move onto names that won’t excite you very much, but wait until you see what they can do. PHA polyester is naturally produced by taking bacteria and feeding it sugar. Once the bacteria finish their business you’re left with a biodegradable plastic that is almost the same as polypropylene. The only downside is that it’s not as flexible as a normal plastic, but you will still be able to use them for things like packaging which doesn’t need to be so flexible.

Starch-based polymers

Starch was touted as something that could replace plastic, but unfortunately because of its poor mechanical properties it will never be able to act as a suitable replacement. It will never be sturdy enough. Luckily starch can be added to a few things in order to make a plastic that is 100% biodegradable. Adding starch to things also reduces the manufacturing costs because it’s really cheap and freely available, although adding too much will also affect the quality of the plastic.

Have a look for yourself

The next time you’re in the supermarket you should look carefully at the shelves. You will see how much plastic is sitting there and you’ll know most of it is not going to be recycled. I’m sure you’ll agree the replacements we’ve talked about will make a huge difference to the world.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 
•  License: Creative Commons image source 
•  License: Creative Commons image source 

The author of this post is John Walters, an employee at Rimco, providers of the finest chute liners in Perth. When not at work, John is usually off holidaying with his family.

About the author
Andreas co-founded Xavier Media® in 1996 and has since been involved in all kinds of development, marketing and making money online.