Alternatives to Plastic Packaging

An alternative to plastic is bagasse. It is the waste from sugarcane plants left over, after the sugar has been extracted. Originally used as a biofuel, the value of this material for the packaging industry has since been well explored. Bagasse is used to make a variety of food packaging items which include, but is not limited to, takeaway containers, plates and bowls. Many industries are using bagasse to make high quality tableware as an alternative for plastics.

Another material that is touted as an alternative is bioplastics. However, it is not free from problems Bioplastics have some practical problems associated with it. While most of these bioplastics require industrial composters to break them down, home composts can't decompose them.

There is another major problem that needs to be looked at. If bioplastics - and even other alternatives for that matter - are used and discarded in the same manner as the conventional plastics then, they have the potential to increase the pH value of water and soil. This will continue the worrying trend of environmental damage.

Moreover, there are other materials that are being considered as alternatives to plastics. Their production process has been described below:

1. 1. Shrilk : Researchers from the Harvard University's Wyss Institute discovered, Shrilk a fully degradable bioplastic made using a material called chitosan (found in shrimp shells) and a protein from silk called fibroin that mimics the microarchitecture of insects’ exoskeletons. Shrilk can be used to manufacture objects without the environmental damage caused by conventional synthetic plastics, and it rapidly degrades when placed in compost, releasing nitrogen-rich nutrient fertilizer.

2. 2. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) comprise a family of biodegradable polyesters that are produced by an extensive variety of microorganisms for intracellular carbon and energy storage purposes. PHA synthesis is promoted by unbalanced growth during the fermentation and accumulation of PHA granules as part of a survival mechanism of the microbes. PHAs are produced by bacterial fermentation using bio-derived feedstocks – including waste – and thus are an alternative to fossil fuel-derived plastics.

While these inventions offer a glimmer of hope to the humanity, the need of the hour is to make these accessible and cheap for the common man to buy.

References: 

spotmydive; Researchers Have Invented Plastic From Shrimp; https://www.spotmydive.com/en/ecology/researchers-have-invented-plastic-fromshrimp 

 NPG Asia Materials; Polyhydroxyalkanoates: opening doors for a sustainable future; https://www.nature.com/articles/am201648