Common Alternatives of Ordinary Plastics
In today’s world, plastics have become a part and parcel of our lives and but they are also posing serious environmental challenges to humans including land, air and water pollution.
Therefore, both consumers and manufacturers have been looking for more eco-friendly and rapidly biodegradable alternatives to plastic which are produced from a variety of cheap raw materials and pose little threat to environment. This article is focused on introducing some of these revolutionary products that can be used in place of plastics.
Plant-based plastics (bio-plastic)
This could be a cheap and easily-produced alternative to plastics as it is made from the waste generated during corn production. It is a highly sustainable material which can easily be used to make drink bottles, food containers and films.
Mushroom root packaging
This packaging material is produced by mixing a fungal extract with other plant wastes under suitable conditions. It is a highly biodegradable packaging material that is used in many packaging industries as a substitute of plastics.
Bagasse packaging
This material is chemically similar to a common plastic called polystyrene. However, it is highly biodegradable and can be used as a cheap alternative to this common packaging plastic widely used in food industries.
Since it is prepared organically as a by-product of sugarcane processing, it is a very cheap, easy and sustainable alternative to polystyrene plastic.
Seaweed water bubbles
These are biodegradable water-bubbles like containers which can be used as a convenient substitute of plastic bottles. These are far more efficient, cheaper and sustainable plastic alternatives since they are produced from seaweed with a sophisticated environment-friendly process with five times lesser carbon footprint than an ordinary plastic producing process.
Stone paper plastic
It is a food-grade packaging material made from limestone (calcium carbonate). This revolutionary invention is used as an alternative packaging material in place of ordinary plastic and paper.
It is a waterproof, recyclable and printable material and it is also produced via an environment-friendly process having a lower carbon footprint.
These are some of the common green alternatives to common plastics; some other mention-able names include packaging made separately from palm leaves, corn starch and sorghum, prawn shell plastic bags, etc. This seems to be an unending list. Nevertheless, your choice depends upon your need and budget.
Sustainable Alternatives for the Classic RFID Card - BioPoly Lab
June 18, 2020 @ 7:13 pm
[…] To battle the waste of landfill materials and non-sustainable goods, there have been many technological advances that have allowed us to create newer alternative plastics. […]