Green Plastics

How are these plastics being developed?


Regular plastics are carbon based, or in other words made out of oil. However, bio-plastics are made out of sugar cane, sugar corn, sugar beets etc. This is an advantage for the bio-plastics as are oil resources are running low as we use them much faster than they take to be produced. Farming corn, sugar cane, beets and other similar plants is very easy and can be done in a short time especially with the newest technologies which allow us to grow the plants that I mentioned above in numbers that very unimaginable before.




What makes these plastics "green?"


Well, to star off with, they are produced out of common crops unlike other plastics which are produced out of oil which is running out very fast. Crops aren't exactly a renewable resource either but they are closer to renewable to oil. Another thing is that unlike the common carbon-based
plastics, the green plastics are bio-degradable. That means that you can throw them into the compost and they will easily fall apart and become a part of the soil for the plants, restarting/continuing the cycle of the "life" of bio-plastic. Carbon-based plastic is almost "immortal" when it comes to bio-degrading. 



What are some issues with plastics that were mentioned?

As always, there is a pretty important problem with the excellent idea. Bio-plastics are very eco-friendly as I mentioned above. The problem that we have to face and hopefully solve now is that the process of the making of those plastics isn't exactly ecological. First, we would need extra space to grow the extra crops. This could could easily cause destruction of nature for the sake of mankind having their way. When we finally have the space to farm, we need trucks to import the seeds and export the crops and strong machinery to make the use of the farm "efficient". Both of the two things that I just mentioned above require oil even though the main benefit of "green" plastic was that it was not based on oil. Then, to have a successful harvest, you will require fertilizer and pesticides. Both of these can cause harm to nature but they also again require oil to transported and even to be spread on larger fields. So yes, the final product is eco-friendly but the process of making it isn't up to date.



How might these green plastics change packaging practices? 


They could make plastic packaging that we use today such as grocery bags, bottles and plastic cases bio-degradable. This could be a new wave of eco-friendliness. Use the product and then throw the packaging into the compost. No more going to recycling places, just dispose it in your backyard. It could also slow down the usage of oil which we are trying to find replacements for in all of its uses as it is running out fast. The possibility of twenty percent of plastic being this "green" type would be a big step but there will still be a long, long way to go. This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.