AP Photo/Josh Reynolds
DCL
Bioplastics are "a new generation of biodegradable and compostable plastics. They are derived from renewable raw materials like starch (e.g. corn, potato, tapioca etc), cellulose, soy protein, lactic acid etc., not hazardous in production and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, biomass etc. when discarded."
As reported in The Guardian, not everyone is thrilled with this idea: "The worldwide effort by supermarkets and industry to replace conventional oil-based plastic with eco-friendly 'bioplastics' made from plants is causing environmental problems and consumer confusion, according to a Guardian study. The substitutes can increase emissions of greenhouse gases on landfill sites, some need high temperatures to decompose and others cannot be recycled in Britain. Many of the bioplastics are also contributing to the global food crisis by taking over large areas of land previously used to grow crops for human consumption.The market for bioplastics, which are made from maize, sugarcane, wheat and other crops, is growing by 20-30% a year."
In addition, there's the issue of genetic modification."None of the currently available bioplastics—which can be considered first generation products—require the use of GM crops," reports Wiki. "However, it is not possible to ensure corn used to make bioplastic in North America is GM-free."
