Ending the Trouble With Plastics?
Did you ever throw out a plastic spoon after eating and wonder where it goes? Most probably, it went to a landfill and will stay there for the next five hundred years. Because of all the plastic causing problems, it’s exciting that biodegradable plastics can now break down in weeks. An optimistic thought in the past has turned into an actual product we can use. Perhaps this is the wake-up call for us to change our approach to throwaway products.
A growing number of scientists, environmentalists and corporate groups are saying — our use of petroleum-based plastics is both harmful to the environment and very irresponsible. For 2024, the UN Environment Programme reported that overall, humans produced more than 430 million metric tons of plastic waste and over two-thirds were used for only one-time products. The fact that biodegradable plastics are now as durable and affordable as regular plastics is exciting and it’s also something we should have seen a long time ago.
From Disposable to Decomposable: The Science Behind the Shift
Why are these new materials special when compared to the old ones? Plastics made in the traditional way are from fossil fuels and are hard, flexible and almost impossible to destroy. The things that make these vehicles useful also harm the environment. On the other hand, researchers are coming up with plant-based types of polymers made from things such as cassava, corn starch, sugarcane or shrimp shells.
Scientists at ETH Zurich and MIT have been investigating polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and polylactic acids (PLAs) which are biodegradable plastics that are safe and can be composted in industrial settings. RWDC Industries is an exciting example because it created Solon™ which breaks down in less than 12 weeks when composted. The original compostable plastics needed to be heated in special high-heat facilities, but the modified type can biodegrade in soil or even in the sea — which is very important.
Here are the ways that these new bioplastics stand out from supposedly green options:
- Rapid decomposition: In regular compost, materials decompose in a short time, usually between 6 and 12 weeks.
- No microplastics: None of the beneficial compost contains any microplastics.
- Carbon-neutral production: Renewable plants are used as a source and this cuts down the products’ carbon impact.
It’s not just an idea created in the lab. A trial in the Netherlands and California confirmed that when composted, biodegradable plastic helps to lower the number of municipal landfills by over 35%.
Compostable Coffee Cups and Shrimp Shell Sneakers are Some Real Examples of Sustainable Ideas
No matter how much we notice it, the world has already started testing plastics in numerous but unclear ways. Lush Cosmetics has changed its packaging to include some parts that break down like potato starch. Adidas and Stella McCartney have collaborated to design unique shoes from mycelium and TômTex which is leather-like material made with waste from the seafood industry.
Large cities have also joined in the fight. San Francisco started adding biodegradable food containers into the compost bins used throughout the city. A 2025 study by Earth911 showed that shifting to compost diverted more than 80,000 tons of waste from landfills during that year.
This practice happens in other cultures too. Plastic pollution continues to harm the shores in Indonesia. In response, traditional market vendors have started using Ecovio-based bags instead of the usual single-use plastic bags
From an Expert: It’s Really About the Overall Structures, Not Only Plastic
A few weeks ago, I talked with Dr. Elise Navarro, a sustainability expert from Montreal. She described a future that was interesting but also very serious.
Biodegradable plastics are very important for the environment. They can only work if there are good infrastructure for composting, help for consumers and strong policy support. Replacing the material is not enough to call it a win.
Her reasoning is correct. Dutch and German supermarkets have been ordered by the European Union well in advance to use compostable packaging only. In North America, there are limited access to industrial composting options for just a small percentage of the public.
Evidently, the way people behave is also reflective of this change. Young people are urging companies and cities to improve which is prompting some changes. Dr. Navarro stated that “Even though we are at the verge of a major developments in materials, it is all about putting the urgency ahead of comfort.”
Scaling the Solution: Can Bioplastics Compete at Global Scale?
Still, expanding these new technologies isn’t always a simple process. Only 1% of global plastic is made from bioplastics as of today, as European Bioplastics reports. Yet, the situation is shifting very quickly.
Both private companies and government bodies are starting to invest more in startups NatureWorks, Biolive and Genecis. Through the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan for 2025, €1.5 billion are offered as incentives for biodegradable packaging.
There are certain challenges and also several promising developments in this field:
- The cost: Using bioplastics adds 20–50% to the price of traditional plastics, though prices are going down as the industry grows.
- Infrastructure gaps: There is a shortage of composting bins that people use regularly in many parts of the world.
- Policy boosts: EPR initiatives are being introduced in favor of compostable products through new policies in California, India and Canada.
Conclusion: We Don’t Need Better Plastics — We Need Smarter Choices
A real problem we need to accept is that recycling won’t solve the entire issue with plastic waste. However, we could try to break the problem down into small parts.
Using plant and seafood waste to create biodegradable plastics isn’t ideal, but it represents a big progress. They show us a chance to live in an era where packaging decomposes just as fast as our items do and never creates waste.
Perhaps, we should change our approach so that being sustainable means progress rather than something else we’re missing.
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