The Case of Biodegradable Plastics

In almost every product we buy, there is some plastic Packaging and containers is the largest market for plastics. They are cheap to produce, ensure excellent protection to the product, and last forever. Nevertheless, this third property is not ideal from an environmental point of view since traditional plastics are manufactured from nonrenewable and fossil-fuel-based resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas. 

Designing for biodegradability is part of the intrinsic nature of green chemistry. The tenth principle of green chemistry states that chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they do not persist in the environment and break down into innocuous degradation products [1, p. 52]. 

Even if recycling plastic bottles seems very common these days, only 23% of water plastic bottles that Americans use are recycled. This leads to 38 billion water bottles ending up in landfills, where they can remain in their manufactured form for 1(X)0 years before they are fully decomposed. When water bottles are burned in an incinerator, they can release toxic fumes and other gases involved in the destraction of the ozone layer. 

Recycled water bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have found many uses, especially in the clothing industry. Some of the companies using recycled PET fabric include Billabong s Eco-Supreme Suede, Wellman Inc. s Eco-fi, and Reware s Rewoven. 

The most-often recycled plastic is polyethylene, designated with the number 2 on bottles, which can be used in applications such as roadside curbs, trash receptacles, and benches. 

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