One benefit of using bioplastic alternatives is that they are not petroleum-based like typical PET plastics. However, biodegradable plastic production is still energy intensive and requires extensive land space to grow crops such as sugarcane and corn used to create these alternative plastics. It is important to understand both the benefits and drawbacks of using bioplastic alternatives and some of the misconceptions around these plant-based products.

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There are two categories of bioplastics: non-biodegradable or durable and biodegradable. Non-biodegradable or durable plant-based plastics such as “BioPET” are chemically identical to tradition PET plastics and thus can be recycled as such. Durable bioplastics cannot be composted. On the flip side, biodegradable bioplastics such as “PLA” (polylactic acid), cannot be recycled but can be composted and will biodegrade overtime unlike other plastics which will only break into smaller pieces but never decompose. It is important to note that biodegradable plastics require high-temperatures to break down and thus require an industrial compost facility to be sufficiently composted. There are not many industrial compost facilities in New York City or the surrounding areas or even in the United States so biodegradable plastics are rarely actually composted.

 

The reality is that most of these biodegradable plant-based plastics are sent to landfill or incinerated. Until the infrastructure for industrial composting catches up with the material technology and becomes more widely available, non-biodegradable, durable bioplastics that can be recycled are probably the better option. Of course the best option is to avoid creating waste in general. If we, the consumers stop purchasing single-use plastics all together, the products and their manufacturers will become obsolete.