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Bioplastics have a story unique from other plastics. They are made from nature's renewable harvest, yet will compete with synthetic petrochemical products in performance and cost. They are made from atmospheric CO2 fixed by plants through photosynthesis, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to synthetic alternatives.
Mirel Bioplastics are made from natural sugars or oils, and will biodegrade harmlessly back to water and CO2 in soil, home composts, industrial composts, wetlands and even the ocean.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 28.9 million tons of petroleum-based plastic solid waste was deposited into the U.S. municipal solid waste ("MSW") stream in 2005. Plastics are a rapidly growing contributor to U.S. MSW, having increased from less than 1% in 1960 to over 11.8% by weight in 2005. In spite of intensive efforts to promote collection and recycling, only 1.7 million tons of plastic or 5.7% of plastic solid waste was recycled that year.
While the balance is mostly deposited in landfills and waste treatment facilities, many plastic items, particularly single use items such as bottles and caps, lids and straws, and grocery bags become persistent litter in the environment where they can become a significant problem.
Plastic waste can create a significant monetary burden on state and local governments. This situation has led California and local jurisdictions within California to consider legislation banning the use of such plastic items or imposing significant taxes on them. San Francisco currently has a ban on plastic bags in grocery stores and chain pharmacies and Los Angeles is considering similar legislation.
In 2007 legislation was signed by the Governor of California that will exempt all plastic bags made of compostable/biodegradable material that meets ASTM D6400 from the state's plastic trash bag law. The enactment of AB 1023 (DeSaulnier) was a significant accomplishment because without this legislation, manufacturers of large bags used for composting programs would have been required to put ten percent post-consumer material in the bags. This requirement would have prevented Mirel from being a viable option for compost bags, and it would add to the plastic waste problem instead of a providing a compostable/biodegradable solution.
The threat that petrochemical-based plastics pose to the marine ecosystem has been well documented. Recent studies have noted that the world's oceans show increasing levels of persistent plastic particles of a size ingestible by marine creatures at the bottom of the food chain. Larger plastic items are also accumulating in large quantities in certain parts of the ocean, and marine birds and mammals have been found killed by ingesting or getting tangled in plastic debris. Los Angeles County is now under court order to clean up the plastic waste in the Los Angeles River, at an estimated cost of $2-$3 billion.
Ultimately, bioplastics will reduce dependence on oil and other forms of fossil carbon as the basis for plastics production. The fact that bioplastics are sustainable and made from renewable resources can help maintain and preserve large tracts of wilderness and the ocean environments, keeping the earth, air and water clean for future generations.
