GREENSBORO. N.C.
Americans produce more than 900
million pounds of garbage each
day, making the prospects of over
filled landfills a real threat.
At the same time, however,
Americans have become more
conscious of environmental
issues. Learning to manage our
garbage is a major issue an
emotional and sometimes con
tioversial issue.
Much of the technology used
for waste management is new, and
although many claims have been
made, there is no simple answer.
Degradable plastics is one area of
new technology that has gained
popularity and offered some hope
during recent years.
“More than 30 percent of the
volume of each day’s garbage
accumulation is plastic products,”
said Tim Draeger, market deve
lopment assistant ■ plastic pro
ducts, National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA). “But less
than 3 percent is recycled.
Cornstarch-based plastic is
degradable and recyclable. It
bicaks, down quicker than
petroleum-based plastic products
and improves the rale of degrada
tion in composting' facilities. It
also makes good use of com, a
renewable resource.”
Adding cornstarch to plastic is
relatively new in the United
Slates. In June 1987, Ciba-Geigy
Seed Division and NCGA spon
sored the first Com Utilization
Conference, which spurred the
development of degradable plas
tics in the United States. Rep
resentatives of St. Lawrence
Starch Co., Mississauga, Ontario,
Canada, attended the conference
and held up a cornstarch-based
plastic bag the company had been
successfully marketing in Europe.
This raised the question, “Why not
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Following the conference,
Archer Daniels Midland Co.
(ADM), Decatur, 111., obtained the
rights to patents for similar tech
nology. Since then degradable
plastics have become increasingly
popular in the United States.
Different
characteristics
Not all degradable plastics are
alike. They are classified by the
way they break down. Biodegrad
able plastic is broken down
through the action of naturally
occurring microorgahisms. Photo
degradable plastic requires sun
light, and chemically degradable
plastics rely on chemical reac
tions. In general terms, however.
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Plastics Gain Popularity
all types are classified as degrad
able plastics.
ADM produces a degradable
additive containing cornstarch and
an oxidative catalyst system in the
form of concentrated pallets that
manufacturers add to plastic
resins. When correctly mixed with
the resin, this product gives the
plastic degradable properties.
“Plastic products made with
this additive will degrade biologi
cally and oxidatively,” said Dr.
George Poppe, manager, degrad
able plastics research, ADM. “The
cornstarch is digested by enzymes
of microorganisms in the soil.
This helps break the plastic article
into smaller segments that then are
more easily degraded. The oxida
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tion catalyst speeds up the break
down of the polymer chains.”
Degradables
assist composting
A key use for degradable plastic
products is in composts. Many
municipalities have reduced the
amount of garbage going into
landfills by separating yard waste.
“Composts Jake advantage of a
naturally occurring process,” said
Poppe. “In a well-managed com
post, yard waste decomposes just
like leaves and pine needles on a
forest floor only faster.
Degradable bags facilitate that
process for municipal yard waste
composting projects. Convention
al plastic bags would be a barrier
in a compost situation. By using
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bags that degrade, the bag can be
composted along with its contents,
saving money by eliminating the
need for debagging the waste.”
No simple
answer
Degradable plastics have
gained popularity, and many peo
ple would like tov think that they
are the answer to modem solid
waste problems. However, it is
still a new technology.
“I’m quite surprised and
pleased at how much we know,
and what we’ve actually accom
plished with degradable plastics,”
said Dr. Gene lannotti, associate
professor, University of Missouri-
Columbia, and chairman of this
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