In this article we will talk about bioplastics,it is good to know the pros and cons of these kind of plastics since many times we are left with very superficial information of all the “alternatives” that help us to combat climate change.

To begin with, what is a bioplastic? A bioplastic is a plastic material of plant origin and / or biodegradable, this acts as a conventional plastic but decomposes more quickly, approximately about eighteen months at an environment temperature. The term biodegradable is very important to keep in mind because some bioplastics like BioPet have a 30% of plant origin but is not biodegradable.

This kind of materials are not new and have been developing and manufacturing for years and are in constant evolution. But only 1.7% of the world’s polymer market are bioplastics but only a quarter of this amount are biodegradable polymers.

The most common bioplastics are:

Once the bioplastic is discarded, it must also be taken somewhere, either sent to a landfill, recycled as in common plastics, or sent to an industrial composting center. However, when a bioplastic is launched into a landfill it is partially isolated from air, moisture and sunlight. So these don’t break down too much in a landfill as they need oxygen and microbial activity.

As for industrial composting, it is necessary to heat the bioplastic to a temperature high enough to allow microbes to break it down. Bioplastics do not degrade on their own in a significant period without this intense heat, in landfills or in household compost.

If these bioplastics end up dumping into marine ecosystems, they will behave similarly to conventional plastics, breaking down into microscopic fragments.

What are its advantages?

• The main advantages of bioplastics are, on the one hand, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the event that they are burned for energy and consequently to the environmental impact.
• The manufacture of plastic through renewable resources is a great advantage.
• Being a plant origin resource, it can be manufactured anywhere in the world, that is, we can have local bioplastics.
• Another advantage is the biodegradability, this characteristic allows an end of the useful life of the products and thus there is a decrease in the volume of waste.
• Some bioplastics are compostable, in addition to being degraded by contact with the environment, they also do so by contact with organic matter.

But are there disadvantages?

• The cultivation of plantations such as corn for the manufacture of plastic instead of food also has its focus of debate, the question that we would have to ask is what is the ideal percentage of cultivation of corn for one segment or another? There is the criteria of each one, so far the experts have not defined a clear answer.
• The cultivation of food to produce plastics requires intensive agriculture, far from the concept of sustainable agriculture; It supposes a high water footprint and can imply deforestation.
• Only 0.85% of the plastic waste that reaches the treatment plants is compostable plastics.
• They cannot be mixed with other plastics to be recycled, they have to be recycled separately.
• Its manufacture has a high cost, they are plastics much more expensive than conventional ones.

Truly, now you already have a little more information about the pros and cons of bioplastics, so that way you can already comment on these kind of plastic without falling into the topics. In summary, neither plastics from oil are that bad and bioplastics are so good, the key is in waste management.