Bioplastics are highly praised. They’re compostable. They’re plant-based. They’re the plastic savior!

Unfortunately, the truth about bioplastics is very different from how they’re marketed. Though greener, there’s a lot to bioplastics that are problematic. They aren’t all biodegradable. They aren’t all biobased. Bioplastics may very well be a new type of waste problem that we, as a society, aren’t ready to deal with.

Facts about how we use in Canada

 Canada recycles only 9 percent of its plastic waste.
 89 percent of our plastic waste is put into a landfill or incinerated.
 Plastic incineration creates greenhouse gas emissions. The amount is likely to reach 1.2 gigatons annually by 2030.
 There’s evidence showing how plastic ends up in our environment. This harms whales, turtles, seabirds, and all sorts of wildlife.

Plastic waste is a global issue, not simply a Canadian one. It is within our power, however, to change our behaviour. The waste disposal and recycling of plastics is our responsibility. In response to the plastic waste problem, the federal government is proposing a ban single-use plastics Canada-wide by 2021.

What are bioplastics?

Bioplastics fit into three categories.

1. ‘Biobased’ means ‘derived from a biological source’. This could be plastic made from corn, potatoes, organic food waste, or other materials.

2. ‘Biodegradable’ means the plastic can be broken down into natural substances like compost, carbon dioxide, or water. To have this happen, a bioplastic has to be under certain conditions though.

3. Bioplastics that are both biobased and biodegradable.

Some companies are developing wonderful technologies that turn waste into compostable bioplastics. For a cost, we’re almost at the point where waste molecules from anything can be turned into some version of plastic.

Bioplastics is a developing industry, with further growth expected. About 3.6 million tonnes of bioplastics are produced every year. This is a very small percentage within a larger 359 million tonnes of plastic produced worldwide annually.

Different types of bioplastics

 Starch-based bioplastics make up 50 percent of the bioplastics market and are used in compost bags, food packaging, and consumer goods packaging.
 Cellulose-based bioplastics.
 Protein-based bioplastics are made from wheat gluten, casein, and/or soy protein.
 Aliphatic polyesters.
 Polyhydroxyalkanoates create a natural plastic from the bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids in nature.
 Polyamide 11 is a natural oil-based plastic used in catheters, electronic device components, sports shoes, oil and gas pipes, and anti-termite sheathing.
 Bio-derived polyethylene.
 Genetically modified feedstocks.
 Polyhydroxyurethanes.
 Lipid derived polymers create plastic from the synthesis of plant and animal-derived fats and oils.

Are bioplastics an environmentally sustainable plastic alternative?

Bioplastics are not an environmentally sustainable waste product. A lot of bioplastics aren’t biodegradable. This presents a big issue.

The Coke PlantBottle is an example. It uses biopolyethylene, a raw plant ingredient to make plastics instead of fossil fuels. Though this is great news, it still doesn’t produce a bottle that’s broken down like a true biodegradable bottle. The finished product is still plastic.

A bioplastic can also still be made from fossil fuels. A ‘biobased’ product is only required a minimum of 25 percent carbon from biological sources. The other 75 percent can be fossil fuel sources like usual.

You can have the bottle be 100 percent made from fossil fuel as long as it’s biodegradable. Ecoflex, a plastic known as polybutylene adipate terephthalate, is one such case.

The most eco-friendly plastic is no plastic at all. Let’s be clear in saying that. Bioplastics aren’t society’s answer to the plastic problem. They merely complicate it.

Do we have a waste disposal system that can handle bioplastics?

The Coke PlantBottle is still chemically plastic, even if it was made from alternative sources. This means it’s not going to biodegrade and is treated like any other traditional plastic. Our waste management and disposable system for plastics is underdeveloped and cannot recycle bioplastics.

Unfortunately, all types of compostable plastics end up in landfills more often than not. Most Canadian municipal waste systems do not know how to process them. In landfills, society’s bioplastics sit for 100 years or more. They emit potent greenhouse gases all the while breaking down at the same rate as other plastics.

Numerous studies have found biodegradable or compostable plastics fail to deliver on their claims.

A 2017 University of Bayreuth study showed how biodegradable plastics that spent a year in seawater or freshwater did not biodegrade.

A similar study was done two years later on compostable bags which did not compost after 27 months in soil. That’s over 2 years! From our perspective, it’s not difficult to see the bioplastics industry is lying.

What are small businesses supposed to do in search of eco-friendly plastic?

For small businesses that want to do good for the environment, bioplastics aren’t where to look. Unfortunately, those who have were burnt because of it. Giving out compostable plastics to eventually find out they aren’t being recycled is a disappointment no one wants.

There are some compostable plastics, biodegradable plastics, and bioplastics which can be recycled. This is true. Until we have sufficient recycling programs in place though, there’s no way to recycle them.

Are bioplastics the future of the plastics industry?

Plastic manufacturers want to stay in business. Bioplastics are their answer to surviving bans on plastic. Although one day they could be an excellent alternative, today the term ‘bioplastic’ doesn’t count for a lot.

As consumers, we can make the choice to reject bioplastics. Some have gone to criticize bioplastics as green-washing. As a garbage pickup and waste disposable company in Toronto, we have concerns about how bioplastics are being marketed.

As it was said earlier in this article, the best alternative to plastics is nothing close to plastic. Environmentally friendly materials include stainless steel, glass, wood, natural fiber cloth, and paper. These are eco-friendly alternative to plastic.

Continuing to use plastics, in whatever format, is a waste problem. It isn’t solving anything except for allowing major corporations to claim they’ve done something environmentally friendly.

This isn’t to discourage the pursuit of plastic adjacent material. If there was a true biodegradable, biobased bioplastic out there, that would be wonderful. Unfortunately, commercially speaking, there isn’t one right now.

Core Mini Bins is Toronto’s top waste disposal company, offering everything from junk removal to dumpster rentals, garbage pick-ups, waste management for small businesses, and more. Speak with a representative for info on how to set up your property with everything it needs for eco-friendly waste management.