Consumers: Be skeptical of 'green' products
Recently, I have been seeing a lot of products in stores labeled ‘biodegradable plastic.’ This label is misleading and is the type of thing green-minded consumers need to be wary of.
Most plastics are made from oil and do not biodegrade, but photodegrade. When something photodegrades it only breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, it never actually disintegrates like it would when biodegrading.
For photodegrading to actually take place, the plastic must be left in direct sunlight, or exposed to UV rays in some other way. This is what makes plastic-made products, such as plastic grocery bags and cigarette filters, so harmful to the environment. The products are usually buried away from sunlight in a landfill or if they do break down, it is never complete.
Another type of plastics seen in stores are being advertised as ‘degradable.’ This just means they degrade quickly at first, but never fully break down, just like plastics that photodegrade.
And although it seems that plastics breaking down into smaller pieces is better than huge chunks sitting in a landfill, they are often more harmful. The small pieces easily work their way into the ecosystem and are eaten by animals and humans.
Biodegradable plastics do exist and are made from plants, like corn, instead of oil. These products, when composted, are converted into water, carbon dioxide and biomass by microorganisms.
However, these products do not break down the same way in landfills. If left in landfills, they produce methane instead of carbon dioxide, which is more harmful.
Biodegradable plastics are often found in food utensils and containers and typically are not used for a wide range of products. To be sure if a product is truly made from biodegradable plastics, check out the Biodegradable Products Institute.
As consumers, we are responsible for knowing how and where the products we use come from. Being a green-minded shopper doesn’t mean buying the products labeled as ‘eco-friendly,’ but researching the products to make the decision for yourself. It is easy to buy products labeled ‘green,’ but that is not always the greenest thing you could do. To be truly green, make sure you are being a well-informed consumer.
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by GreenTruth
Plastics made from oil can be fully bio-degradable. These are known as oxo-biodegradable plastics and follow a process of degradation, reaching a state of water, carbon dioxide and biomass which is then ready to be absorbed by microorganisms.
Symphony Environmental produce an additive called d2w which turns ordinary plastic at the end of its useful life into a material with a completely different molecular structure. At that stage it is no longer a plastic and has become a material which can be bio-assimilated in the open environment in the same way as a leaf.
For a video of oxo-bio plastic film degrading, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3TGqcpWJTM
Flag for moderationby Sustainable Citizen
I invite anyone being interested in sustainability and comprehensive scientific reports to look at the recent published report from UK Environment Agency and Carrier bags single use, reuseable etc.
This is very interesting reading http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/Carrier_Bags_final_18-02-11.pdf
Good Luck!
Flag for moderationby Max Clark
We agree that consumers should be skeptical and ask a lot of questions. Many of the “green” plastics on the market today seem like they solve a problem such as the sourcing issue but still end up using just as much fossil fuels to process and provide lower performing physical characteristics.
The lower performing characteristics are a big problem for manufactures and limit the shelf stability of the product.
Looking at the end-of-life issue they end up in recycle bins or mostly landfills. In recycling infrastructures the material has to be separated which leads to more fuel, time, money and sometimes contaiminate plastics that are recycled. In a landfill these plastic last forever.
What we are finding is that bioplastics manufactures are mixing in standard polymers to increase the characteristics.
ENSO plastics are designed to be fully recyclable and will naturally break down by microbes. We don’t think it a fix all to our plastic pollution issue but it is the best solution we have today.
You can learn more at http://www.ensoplastics.com
Max Clark
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by Gary B
Like “Organic” foods Green has become a label that a company will put on a product just to sell something. As for recycling the one material that we can recycle that actually save energy and resources is METAL.
Metal has to be mined out of the ground which is very labor intensive, causes a environmental impact. Then that ore has to be refined with is very energy intensive.
The only real reason to recycle plastic is to keep it out of landfills which should be left for garbage that rots and produces METHANE. A natural gas we can use a a fuel source
Biggest problem with plastics is that large garbage patch in the Pacific ocean they we need to clean up.
Paper we are better off burning it, as paper comes from trees grown in tree farms. The paper comes from the sawdust and scraps that are left over when those trees are turned into lumber. Paper is the hot dogs of the lumber industry.
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