What are bioplastics exactly?

An estimated 99% of all plastic is made from fossil fuels such as oil and gas. The remaining 1% is made from natural raw materials such as corn, cane sugar, or potatoes. These bio-based plastics, or bioplastics, are used for bags, food packaging, disposable cups, etc. Even though they may eventually biodegrade if disposed of properly, bioplastic behaves like ordinary plastic in the environment and therefore, cannot be a long-term solution for the plastic soup.

What are bioplastics exactly?

Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Bioplastic can be made from agricultural by-products and also from used plastic bottles and other containers using microorganisms. Common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics (also called petrobased polymers) are derived from petroleum or natural gas. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable nor biodegrade more readily than commodity fossil-fuel derived plastics. Bioplastics are usually derived from sugar derivatives, including starch, cellulose, and lactic acid.