Understanding the Role of Plastic: Part Three of Three

For the past few weeks, our Green Park Store blog has been focusing on the role of plastic in the United States. The goal has been to promote finding ways to use recycled plastics and develop a system where plastics can be used over and over again for many uses. Plastic should have a “cradle to cradle” process, not a production to landfill result. When plastics end up in a landfill, they are not able to be used again, which means we must go in search of the raw materials that plastic is derived from—petroleum and natural gas. Both petroleum and natural gas are finite resources that do not renew themselves within even 10 human generations. By using these resources to produce plastics and then throwing them away we are wasting precious resources that could be put to higher valued uses.

We are responsible for the resources we produce, consume, and dispose of...let's take care of ourselves and Earth by starting to find renewable resources to meet our plastic demands.

Instead of searching for these finite resources to extract from the Earth, many companies are instead seeking out alternative ways to produce plastic and different products that work even better as plastic. Natureworks, a company that produces a bio plastic called Ingeo, has been working on developing a plant-based plastic since 2003. This plastic, Ingeo, can be composted in 60 days, and if it is separated properly it can be melted to its virgin form and re-processed as an almost perfect new plastic material! Once bio plastics reach the end of their life, they can be turned into nearly any product that is derived from plastic: baby wipes, snack packaging, laptops and even T-shirts (Tolve 40).

While there are so many benefits to bio plastics, there is still criticism of the bio plastic process. Some critics feel that bio plastic being made from corn and sugar cane is taking away from agriculture for food consumption. However, to counteract the “stress” the corn market may be facing, Natureworks has starting developing technologies that allow them to use agriculture waste products!

Natureworks was one of the first companies to enter the bio plastics market, but there are companies following in their footsteps. One of those companies is Metabolix, a firm based in Massachusetts. Metabolix is developing a plastic derived from microbial fermentation! After the plastic is used, the plastic biodegrades in fresh or salt water, soil, and compost. This a great step because not only is Metabolix finding a plastic that is not produced from petroleum based products but they are creating a plastic that will be less harmful to the environment and the many ecosystems on Earth.

Green Park Store is also passionate about reusing plastics and putting them to higher valued uses. Here is a sample of what recycled plastic can be turned into. 

Polywood Long Island Rocker (Made from recycled plastic in the USA)

These companies and the information in this article is just the tip of the iceberg for the future of plastics in our world. You can do your part in creating a better planet where plastics are seen as helpful rather than destructive. As mentioned in our previous articles, recycle plastics whether you are at home or on the go. Find an incentive program that will give you points for recycling if that helps you stay on the recycling wagon! Also, feel free to look at our other article about upcycling to learn about some crafty ways to re-use plastic and other waste in your own home! 

Resource: Tolve, Andrew. “Plastic Fantastic.” Ode Magazine. Spring 2011: 37-40. Print.