What are the alternatives to single use plastic.
So we understand that all this use of disposable plastic is causing problems on our planet and have decided enough is enough. How then do we go about changing the way we live and the choices we make in order to go plastic free and play our part in helping to stop this potentially catastrophic situation getting worse?
Lets first look at materials that are available which can be used to replace problematic single use plastic items in the pursuit of a plastic free future.
PLA or Polylactic Acid also known as Bio-plastic.
Bio-plastics not a new invention, in fact they were first invented in the 1920s by a french researcher called Maurice Lemoigne.
Since the oil crisis in the 1970s plastic producers have begun to look at alternative forms of plastic which can be produced without the reliance on fossil fuels, this lead to the development of PLA a bioplastic which is usually derived from corn or sugarcane.
Bioplastic looks and feels just like plastic but has one important quality over its synthetic cousin, under the correct conditions it will completely break down into its natural elements.
Pros:
- PLA is non-toxic and can be used safely in contact with food, however it can become toxic if it combusts.
- PLA can be manufactured and shaped by just like regular plastic and by the same machinery.
- It looks feels and has similar physical qualities to plastic.
- It is 100% biodegradable under the correct conditions.
- It can be made from 100% renewable plant sources.
Cons:
- Although touted as being a compostable and biodegradable plastic this will only occur in a controlled environment as found in a specialist commercial composting facility.
- If sent to landfill or escapes into the environment it could take between 100 and 1000 years to completely degrade.
- It can easily get mixed with other plastics headed to recycling centres and contaminate batches however machines that can sort PLA from other plastics are now being developed.
- The material relies on people disposing of the waste PLA in a way that it can be recycled, it will not disappear naturally if discarded as litter.
- At present industrial composting and PLA recycling facilities are limited.
- PLA is often made from Genetically modified Corn.
- If large amounts of PLA get into landfill sites they can cause problems with high levels of methane gas released as it decomposes and the environmental impact that this entails.
Shared from BuzzFeedVideo via YouTube
How about Glass?
The use of glass dates back to around 3500 BC and can be made in its simplest for from sand. Glass has and still is used today as one the primary packaging materials in many of the products we buy today, However more and more of these items seem to be appearing repackaged in in plastic, think about the old tomato sauce bottles you had to tap the end of to get the ketchup out? Not any more with the plastic squeezy version!
Glass has many attributes that can make it an ideal alternative to plastic.
Pros:
- Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled again and again indefinitely without the loss of any of its strength and quality.
- Recycled glass creates significantly less pollution in its processing and uses much less energy than making new glass from scratch.
- Recycled glass is both 100% safe on contact with food/liquids and is non toxic to the environment (except lead crystal, not commonly used)
- Glass recycling facilities and infrastructure are common and widespread.
- Glass is a strong and shape-able material.
- Bottle deposit schemes can and have been used successfully to encourage recycling.
- Glass is heavy when compared with plastic which leads to higher cost associated with transport.
- Although Glass is strong it will also shatter if dropped on to a hard surface which leads to concerns over safety and also increases waste due to breakages in transport.
- Glass needs a lid made from other materials which often means plastic, however there are alternatives, the best example being natural cork found in wine bottles.
Paper...not as good as you thought?
Imagining isles of food in your local supermarket all packaged in beautifully looking brown recycled paper packaging may seem like an ideal in the face of the plastic packaging we see today however this is not necessarily as eco-friendly as it first appears.
When you look at the production of a paper bag vs a plastic bag for instance the plastic bag does actually tip the scale in its favour from many angles. we have described some of these below.
- Paper production it is thought produces around 70% more air pollution in its manufacture than plastic with high amounts of greenhouse gasses released. Also water pollutants are possibly 50 times higher than the manufacture of plastic
- Four times more energy is used in the production of paper than plastic
- Paper production consumes large amounts of water.
- Paper recycling is highly inefficient and especially when compared to plastic.
- In landfill it is thought that paper can take as long as plastic to degrade.
- Paper is obviously made from the felling of trees which can be damaging to the environment if not sourced from sustainable forests.
- Paper is not especially suitable for reuse, a paper bag for instance is not going to stand up to constant use and will be disposed of quickly.
Other materials
In today’s world where people are starting to wake up to the fact that our environment is suffering in the face of pollution from single use plastics among other forms of pollution, there seems to be more and more materials entering the market claiming to potentially solve the problem.
While many of these materials are in their early days and are yet to prove their worth some others are once forgotten materials which are being rediscovered and are beginning to once again prove their worth.
Bamboo
This fast growing plant could be a highly sustainable and completely biodegradable source of material able to replace many products which are currently manufactured from plastic. It is both light weight and strong and also visually appealing. Its early days at the moment but we are already seeing more and more of these items appear on our shelves.
Sugar Bagasse
Waste material from the sugar cane industry is a fibrous material that can be made into packaging alternatives using a process of heat,pulping and moulding. This can produce an end product that is both heat resistant and 100% biodegradable.
Palm Leaf Packaging
Palm leaves from the Areca nut palm from India are gatheres, soaked in water and then heat pressed into shape. The process requires no chemicals or additives, its just leaves! They can be pressed into a variety of shapes which once used are 100% biodegradable. This is a very exiting material made from a waste product that seems to have very little environmental impact.
We feel that these sort of ideas could help to save the planet from plastic pollution. By choosing these types of product over plastic we can show the retailers and manufacturers that we want to see an end to the over use of plastic on our planet.
By reusing what we already have, by changing the way we shop and through selecting produce that comes without packaging and voting with our feet by selecting more eco-friendly products together we can help to put an end to this mess and start to move towards a sustainable future!
