Pick Your Teeth With Bioplastics

Bioplastics are a new plastic product that are gaining in versatility in their applications – and in media attention.

For example, recently Cereplast, Inc., a bioplastics manufacturer, announced that it will supply DenTek® with bioplastic resin for its new Natural Floss Picks, creating the first biodegradable and compostable floss picks on the market. Additionally, the handles are certified to be 100 percent compostable by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI), and the packaging is made from 100 percent recyclable material.

Products made with certain types of bioplastics are renewable, eco-friendly substitutes for petroleum-based plastic. Made of “biopolymers” (polymers manufactured from living, green cells), the plastics can be broken down by microorganisms and returned to the soil.

According to BCC Research, the bioplastics market is expected to grow, despite its smaller market share at this time.  The company estimated that the market for biodegradable plastics is expected to reach 1.2 billion pounds by 2012, up from 541 million pounds in 2007.

Good Eats

Bioplastics are finding another application in the food industry as well. The Indiana Government Center’s cafeterias will be adopting bio-based plastic containers made from compostable resins, replacing their cold-drink cups and containers on their salad bars.

“This program provides further evidence that bio-based products made from Cereplast resin are an economic alternative to petroleum-based plastics in food serviceware and single use applications. We are also very pleased that our Compostables® resins are seeing momentum and are used beyond the West coast, and we really appreciate the support the State of Indiana has been expressing to our efforts,” said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast.

While the market continues to grow for bioplastics, their total environmental impact has yet to be seen. In the meantime, at least you won’t have cavities.