More than 10 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year, according to U.S.-based nonprofit Plastic Oceans International. It can take more than 400 years for plastic to degrade, and 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been manufactured since the mid-1900s, according to National Geographic.
As Shaun Goodwin reports for Idaho Statesman, disposing of such a large quantity of plastic waste in the environment has been a question that has stumped scientists for years.
Part of the solution may have been found in Idaho Falls. Since its founding in 2011, global manufacturer BioLogiQ has been working on a way to create eco-friendly plastic products made from renewable materials.
In the most Idahoan way possible, the company turned to potatoes for the answer.
“(In 2011), we started making plastic from potato waste, specifically the starch from the potato waste,” BioLogiQ CEO Steven Sherman told the Idaho Statesman on Thursday. “We then have been, from that time, doing various research and development activities.”
When BioLogiQ’s technology is combined with other plastic products, Sherman said, it allows the plastics to degrade faster because microorganisms that eat the plastics have a much easier time breaking down things like starch and glycerin. Up to 30% of a product can include NuPlastiQ, Sherman said.
Source: Idaho Statesman. Read the full story and watch a video here
Photo: Courtesy and credit Huffington Post
Related: Could plant-based plastics help tackle waste pollution?
Related: This Biodegradable ‘Plastic’ Made from Potato Peelings Could Change The Sustainability Game
