Many thanks for your question. There have been some developments in this area, but unfortunately they are not great . . . The first is a bio-degradable film which is actually a oxo-biodegradable polyethylene, however, oxo-biodegradable plastics are problematic. They don’t tend to bio-degrade and instead they fracture and can produce micro plastics (which we have read about a lot recently). An alternative could be the “I’m green polyethylene’” produced by Braskem. This material is identical to polyethylene film but is made using ethanol produced from sugar; this could substitute PVC based cling film, however it is in early stages of development.
More sustainable options include aluminium foil, which is abundant, has a clear recycling infrastructure but I couldn’t comment on the comparative energy efficiencies.
Thanks James - that is all very helpful. Interesting that you mention aluminium foil as a more sustainable option. I have always tried to avoid it as far as possible because I live in Brighton & Hove where it is not accepted in domestic recycling. One of the big challenges in waste management generally seems to be the disparity of facilities in different areas and the apparent inability of local authorities to change waste contracts and sort this out!
The release of plastic additives into the environment from biodegradable plastics is certainly a hot area. The short answer is we don’t know to what extent this affects the environment/ecosystems and how problematic this will be. There has been some targeted research over the past 5-10 years showing that certain additives might cause issues. However, there are 1000’s of additives used in plastic products, so it is difficult to quantify and form an holistic opinion. Generally speaking, additives shouldn’t be released into the environment, the same as plastic waste.
Biodegradable plastics do have their place however, especially with applications where the material can become heavily contaminated (i.e., with food, microwave films etc). However, there is an argument to say that bio degradation of plastics is a loss of valuable resources.
That’s such a shame that your local collection facility doesn’t collect aluminium foil! There may be specialist collection facilities (such as a scrap dealer) if you collect it in bulk. I know this is far from ideal and so incredibly frustrating that there are so many different waste collection systems within the UK (though from what I have read, this is something that is on their radar). According to the green centre you can recycle at the following locations in brighton,
Essentially, plastic is too useful; it’s lightweight, sanitary, cheap, can be flexible or rigid or coloured! It’s actually an amazing material and allowed some incredible innovations. The issue is not so much plastic itself, but plastic waste. Recycling is therefore key to solving the issues we are currently facing. The future is not plastic free but circular. This means moving away from the burn and bury culture we are currently using to process waste and taking a reuse, repair and recycle approach.
That’s all folks! Thank you for your questions and thank you to James for hosting this Ask Me Anything session!
If you have any more questions for James, you can contact him on here @jwc or at Addible.
Whilst you are here, do take a look around the forum and contribute to some of the other conversations. And join us again next week for our Ask Me Anything Session, on Tuesday 21st July at 4pm.
Great that everyone has taken such an interest. Thank you to everyone for your questions and the Legacy team! Please feel free to contact me at addible.co.uk for further information and guidance.
