BLOG OF iECYCLE

One of the largest issues concerning me is the ever increasing use of what is, arguably, one of the most ubiquitous materials which mankind has ever conceived: plastic.  One cannot go long without seeing a new product either created from or contained by it.  Its production accounts for around 10% of our petroleum consumption, a quarter of our landfills (I’m not talking just containers, here. When’s the last time you put an ice scraper or a Barbie Dream House in the recycling bin?) and takes upwards of a millennium to break down; leeching toxicity into the earth, in the process.

While I have to agree that, as the industry once touted, “Plastic makes life better” (though, by and large, simply more convenient), I’m led to wonder when it will end.  Living in a realistic world, I must believe that the answer is: Until we discover something better.

So there I was; cold, wet and hungry; working a winter sporting event on the side of a mountain.  I head into the catering tent, grab my disposable plate, cup & utensils and see the signs pointing out that they are all made of corn plastic and have their own, separate bins for recycling.  Huh…  Something better?  Arguably, in a word: yes.  In another: considerably.

Requiring approximately 65% less energy (growing of the crop included) and resulting in a comparable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the monetary cost of producing this poly-lactic acid (PLA) plastic is about the same as that required to derive traditional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from oil and has been steadily decreasing as innovations develop.

PLA is essentially created by fermentation of corn starch which yields lactic acid from which lactides are formed and polymers ultimately result.  The polymers are crystalized into pellets (just like PET) which can then be melted and either molded into containers or spun into fibers for fabrics.  Products range from clear deli trays to coffee mugs to clothing. This isn’t a hybrid of organic and synthetic, like the old “biodegradable” grocery bags, from which fragments of polyethelene will remain.  Properly treated, PLA can completely break down in 40 to 80 days.

This is not to say that you can just toss a cup into your compost pile. It would probably remain intact, under such conditions, for about the same amount of time as PET but, if reports are correct, you could toss it into a fire without releasing toxic fumes into the atmosphere!  That alone is rather encouraging.  To compost PLA, however, would require shredding and storage at 140ºF for ten or more days and the working bacteria requires more oxygen than otherwise necessary to further break down the resultant, wetter material.  Most present facilities, unfortunately, are not equipped to provide this but, as momentum grows, it may be fair to say that this could change.

Recycling PLA is, for the moment, similarly problematic as it does not mix with PET and will result in problems for facilites who would either have to sort it out of the stream or deal with an unusable result and fouled equipment, neither of which are particularly conducive to a desirable outcome, from a business point of view.  Hopefully, this too will change but it could require additional responsibility on the part of the consumer, at least initially, in separating the two materials.  Ultimately, though, we will determine whether commercial interests accept and increase selection of products by our choices.

Opponents have some key points, especially regarding corn growing procedures, in general (but I certainly wouldn’t want the baby thrown out with the bathwater, here).  While corn farming may tax resources more than other crops, it is not necessarily the only option.  In fact, in 1941, Henry Ford was developing an automobile body made from a soy-based plastic before our involvement in WWII halted momentum.

I imagine that a process could be developed using most any starchy plant material, stems and stalks included.  The feed-grade dent corn presently used, however, is a rather abundant and practical system-in-place. And not to condone the practice but genetically altered proteins are destroyed in the derivation process, so food contamination is not a direct threat with respect to containers.  While the thinner salad-type trays do have a low melting point of around 114ºF, utensil and hot beverage-grade products are of a thicker, more heat tolerant PLA.  As acceptance grows, hopefully we’ll see more durable goods (like Barbie Dream Houses) made out of it, too.

Despite the issues, it’s not reasonable to expect our culture to turn on its ear, overnight.  We have been presented with an emerging technology which could, relatively cleanly, reduce our need for oil and extend our use of it in more important areas, at least until we ultimately have developed and embraced more beneficial solutions.