A new breed of plastic made from plants—called bioplastic—are biodegradable, apparently offering a solution to one of the big problems with our disposable plastic society.
1. Bioplastics are designed to be composted, not recycled. The plant-based material will actually contaminate the recycling process if not separated from conventional plastics such as soda bottles and milk jugs.
2. Home composting may not be an option. Some bioplastics cannot be broken down by the bacteria in our backyards. Polyethylene (PE) made from cane sugar is one example of this. Only bioplastics that are fully biodegradable will break down in a home compost pile, and it could still take up to two years for certain items (e.g., forks and spoons). The rest require the high heat and humidity of an industrial composting facility. There are only about 100 of those in the country, and not all accept bioplastic waste.
3. Plants grown for bioplastics have negative impacts of their own. Bioplastics are often produced from genetically modified food crops such as corn, potatoes, and soybeans, a practice that carries a high risk of contaminating our food supply. Also, corn and soybean producers typically apply large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers that pollute our air and water. To compound matters, the growth of the bioplastics and biofuels industries (both of which currently rely on food crops as their raw material) increases the demand for crops, puts pressure on food prices, and increases the impact of agriculture worldwide.