Biodegradable plastics: used in scenarios that are difficult to reuse and recycle

Why is plastic recycling in the EU only 14%? Because some scenes cannot be recycled. A simple example is how to recycle tags on clothing, including paper, rope, plastic, etc? For example, composite packaging, such as cola bottles including lids and labels, is difficult to trace, collect, and recycle. So at present, only 14% of the plastic that has not been recycled in the EU is burned, 40% is buried, and 32% is lost to nature. The remaining scenarios that are difficult to reduce, cannot be recycled, and cannot be recycled are important battlefields for the development of bioplastics. This is a direction for the development of bioplastics in the context of circular economy.

The development prospects of biodegradable plastics also need to conform to a circular economy based on collective agreements. Bioplastics, especially bio based biodegradable plastics such as PLA and PHA, can only be developed through cultivation and require the use of land, water resources, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc. If a large amount of crops are used for the development of bio based plastics and biodegradable materials, it is necessary to evaluate whether resources are wasted and whether the land will be contaminated with pesticides and fertilizers? Secondly, if the same crop is planted on a large scale, it will often lead to pests, diseases, ecological disasters, and reduce biodiversity. The development of bioplastics also needs to consider the carrying capacity of the land and the inputs generated from planting, including pesticides, fertilizers, insecticides, etc.

Manufacturing biodegradable products from agricultural waste and by-products

Compared with the development of biofuels, the EU also advocates turning biomass into plastic because plastic has a long life cycle. In the case of a long lifecycle, using a large amount of land, resources, and energy to develop these materials is the only way to have value and meet the needs of a contracted society for economic development. In addition to being converted into bioplastics through chemical fermentation, there are also a large amount of biomass resources that can be utilized, such as straw, sugarcane bagasse, leaves, reeds, etc. If these resources can be utilized to produce biodegradable and compostable materials, it would be desirable to see them succeed globally. Therefore, from the perspective of developing biodegradable materials, if some agricultural waste and by-products can be used to manufacture biodegradable products, then the whole world would welcome it.