THIS IS WAR!

I have just seen this appeal from The Plastics Research Council to the plastics industry:

"This is war - and we are losing badly. A lie repeated often enough becomes perceived as truth, and that's what has happened when it comes to plastic. The public think that plastics are toxic, that they never degrade, that microplastics are a threat, that recycling is a scam, that alternatives decrease impact and other lies, almost too numerous to count.

With your help we can expose the fraudsters and charlatans who are leading the narrative and leading us into a dark future. By sharing solid science, in a way that resonates with people, we can become a beacon for a better outcome - the outcome our children deserve. We need to protect them from this savage attack against their future

It has taken years to damage the reputation of plastic materials and it will take years to undo that damage - this is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. With a proven team of highly capable scientists, we can make a real difference. Now it is time to build a bigger, louder megaphone to shout our message from the rooftops and spread the facts online, in print, on radio, and television."

I am glad to see that the plastics industry has woken up to the threat. They are under attack mainly because their plastic products do get into the open environment. This is not their fault, but we have all seen the pictures of plastic waste on land and in the oceans. The plastics industry can deal with this by making all PE and PP packaging materials oxo-biodegradable, so that they will biodegrade instead of creating microplastics and persisting in the environment for an unacceptable period of time.

I agree with the following post on Linkedin: "Sutherland [Plastic Planet] is ignoring the science and facts about all materials. What she should address is the responsible use of ALL materials that meet application needs and other key factors (I.e. health, hygiene, safety, protection, cost, env footprint, LCA). The focus on plastics is a flawed and illogical process responsible analysis would reject. Canada's Plastic Assessment Tool to ban plastics is a good example of irresponsible tools that are politically driven and ignore the impacts of alternatives to plastics to the detriment of sustainability."

US-EPA on OXO-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC

My attention has been drawn to the following summary of a study by the Environmental Protection Agency's Senior Chemical Engineer:

"Single-use plastics that are commonly used for packaging and service-ware, such as bottles, bags, straws, and wrappers, result in land and marine pollution as they break down into microplastics. Blending plastics with pro-oxidants could be a promising solution as they accelerate photooxidation to obtain degradable materials whose final ecological and physical footprints are much smaller.

In this study, two pro-oxidants, iron stearate (FeSt3) and cobalt stearate (CoSt2), were melt blended with polypropylene (PP) at concentrations of 1 and 2 wt%. Plates of neat and pro-oxidant-filled PP were kept in an accelerated weathering chamber that simulates the damaging effects of long-term outdoor exposure. Samples were taken out from the test chamber, and their properties were measured at selected time intervals as they undergo photochemical degradation. Physical, thermal, and chemical properties of pristine and pro-oxidant-filled samples were measured using TGA, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transfer IR spectroscopy (FTIR).

The study offers a successful approach where benign filler could significantly reduce the persistence of plastic pollution without creating undesired by-products."

COMPOSTING TRAGEDY

Rather than a potential triumph, the compostable plastics we use look increasingly like a tragedy. Andy Extance looks at the problems and seeks solutions in "Chemistry World" 11t November 2024.

"When the BBC's Blue Planet II aired in 2017, showing turtles trapped in plastic debris and puffins feeding plastic to their chicks, the material became public enemy number one. Half of British people said they'd pay more to avoid plastic waste according to a poll by survey company YouGov. Compostable plastics are among the solutions, yet they typically can't go on your compost heap at home. Worse still, few UK facilities can compost them, reveals Philippa Roberts, co-founder and chief executive officer of Binit Group, in Exeter, UK.

Rather than composting, in the UK food waste typically goes to anaerobic digestion, in which bacteria mostly chew it up to make fertiliser and methane gas. But digesters can't break down most compostable packaging. Yet, Roberts tells Chemistry World, packaging still gets included with food, only to be separated out at anaerobic digesters and then sent to incinerators. Only the more populous regions, principally London, can successfully compost the packaging, she asserts. 'This is nuts,' says Roberts. 'Why are we putting all this in the composting and then pulling it back out again and burning it?'

Current UK law means that much single-use packaging, such as salad containers, can no longer be more conventional recyclable plastics. But Roberts says that compostable packaging 'probably has a worse environmental outcome."

Michael Stephen

Michael Stephen is a lawyer and was a member of the United Kingdom Parliament, where he served on the Environment Select Committee. When he left Parliament Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc. attracted his attention because of his interest in the environment. He is now Deputy Chairman of Symphony, which is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, and is the founder and Chairman of the Biodegradable Plastics Association.

Earlier Postings in this Column

All articles from Michael Stephen

Interview with Michael Stephen

Questions and Answers on OXO-Biodegradability

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed here by Michael Stephen and other columnists are their own, not those of Bioplasticsnews.com