Published in

Garden

Rate this post

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars

Tagged as

energy, medical, plasticbags, recycle, wood

Join the discussion

1 comment

Share this article

Published on June 11th, 2008

Compostable Goods on the Rise

by Ashley Schiller

With plastic bag bans growing in popularity in U.S. cities and entire nations, such as China, the market for bags made from corn is expanding, according to Riverwired.

McKinsey & Co. estimates the field will be worth more than $100 billion by 2010.

Unlike regular plastic bags, the bags derived from corn are biodegradable. Bioplastics can be made from corn, cotton, wood, wheat, soybeans and even bacteria.

Researchers are working to refine the production process, which still requires a lot of petro-energy.

The plastic is even hitting the electronics market, according to the article. Some items being made with biodegradable plastic include:

  • Portable music players
  • Laptops
  • Specialized medical devices
  • Toyota has plans for a biodegradable car

Still have plastic bags sitting around your house? Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find a drop-off in your area.

Ashley Schiller

Ashley Schiller

Ashley Schiller is a freelance writer. She is currently finishing her bachelors in political science and journalism.

More articles by Ashley


Comments

  1. brianne

    posted on June 11th, 2008 at 3:43 pm

    I love the new products coming out that are using corn-based materials. We just launched a new organic Tea called Tetulia. Our outer package is made of recycled cardboard and is compostable. Our silken pyramid tea bags are made of a corn-based product and they are biodegradable. It’s so wonderful that we are coming up with alternative options to protect our earth.
    Brianne
    Tetulia Tea
    http://www.TetuliaBlog.com

Join the discussion



Recently Added to Garden

  • Colorado Bill Legalizes Rainwater Harvesting

    Colorado just came one step closer to making rainwater harvesting a legal option for more of its residents.

    Before the new law allowing rainwater collection was passed, it was illegal in Colorado to gather rainwater and snowmelt that fell from a …

  • U.S. Wood Pellet Mill Receives FSC Certification

    The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Rainforest Alliance announced the first FSC certification of a wood biomass pellet mill in the U.S.

    As part of the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, Curran Renewable Energy, LLC will become the first certified producer …

  • New Flatware Designed With Composting in Mind

    Several of the newer lines of disposable dishes and flatware are being manufactured from materials that, while they may not be recyclable, will biodegrade in a compost pile.

    The newest line of Bare by Solo dishes are produced using sugarcane and …

Advertise with us