Has technology reached the point that we can mass produce biodegradable plastics from more than one sustainable resource?

In some cases yes!

Sustainable Fututre Series by @solarguy

(image credit http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/)

From organic waste left over from brewing beer to harvesting algae. Making plastic that simply turns to organic dust that could actually be consumed as food by wild life is already possible.

As many of you know there is a pile of plastic floating around the ocean the size of Texas. Sounds crazy right? It is crazy, crazy because it’s true. Birds and fish eat the smaller pieces of plastic as they break up under the heat of the sun over many years. As each piece gets smaller so does the creature that feeds on it thinking its food. Anyone who has ever gone fishing knows how much fish like bright colours. In turn birds eat the fish that have the plastics still in their belly unable to digest it.
Plastics takes hundreds to thousands of years to disappear releasing toxins into the environment as it goes.

(image credit http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=26854&ArticleID=35564)

Larger birds scoop up the floating plastics mistaking them as food or unable to sort them out from the small fish they are aiming for. They then go on to feed their young the plastic. This is a huge part of the reason for the dwindling numbers of sea faring birds globally.

http://kuow.org/post/study-eating-plastic-causes-tumors-liver-problems-fish Bird pic
http://www.deepseanews.com/2013/12/guest-post-the-invisible-consequences-of-mistaking-plastic-for-dinner/ fish pic

We have seen pictures and videos of animals caught up in plastic as babies and then grow up deformed due to the constraints they cannot free them self from. To heart breaking to show them. If you need to see just google image search "plastic kills wildlife" and no shortage of disturbing pictures of human activity.

IT ENDS NOW!!

Here are 2 very cool 100% green sustainable biodegradable plastic innovations that will end plastic from harming our wildlife once and for all. In the near future no more seeing water bottles wash up on shore. No more stomach turning images of animals trapped in plastic at the waist with misshaped bodies.

Biodegradable Water Bottles Made From Algae

This product needs a lot more innovation before it’s ready to be mass produced at commercial quality. For now kicking it about the house or as a gimmick will suffice. Let’s be real though, the path is possible to follow and improve.

The key ingredient is Agar which is a bi-product of red algae. It’s edible and has been used in Japanese cuisine for hundreds of years.
“Agar (pronounced /ˈeɪɡɑːr/, US /ˈɑːɡər/) or agar-agar is a jelly-like substance, obtained from algae.[1] It was discovered in the late 1650s or early 1660s by Mino Tarōzaemon in Japan, where it is called kanten.”
Learn more about Agar and red Alga here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agar

(image credit http://www.singaporelocalfavourites.com/2011/01/how-to-make-agar-agar-pandan.html)

Maybe some of our Steemit cooks are familiar with it as it is an Vegan friendly alternative to gelatin.

Inventor

Ari Jónsson “who studies at the Iceland Academy of the Arts – exhibited the project during this year's Reykjavik design festival DesignMarch from 10 to 13 March 2016.”
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/20/ari-jonsson-algae-biodegradable-water-bottles-iceland-academy-arts-student-designmarch-2016/
Click the above link for his inspiration and interview.

As long as there is water in the bottle it will not degrade. Though Jónsson said after some time the water will begin to taste like Agar which you may indeed like as it is food. You can then eat the bottle after consuming the water. It would have a very stiff jello texture and bland taste. I guess you could dip it in kool aid powder. lol

Even if it’s not ready to be put on shelves I still think it’s a neat idea and a step in the right direction. If you read my past articles about algae you may remember how growing algae cleans the air of pollution and replaces it with clean oxygen. Double whammy right there.

Edible Six Pack Rings.

Now this product is not only ready to go its already being used. It’s that proven, tried, tested and true.

(image credit http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/05/27/brewing-six-pack-wont-kill-turtles)

Made from the left over, barley and wheat used in brewing beer. For thousands of years this stinky bi-product was considered waste. It may have been used as fertilizer or animal feed but mostly it was over looked as anything of value.

(image credit https://www.craftbeer.com/editors-picks/saltwater-brewery-creates-edible-six-pack-rings)
http://www.saltwaterbrewery.com/

The geniuses at Salt Water Brewery in Delray Beach, FL USA figured out a way to revolutionize the way we use six pack rings.

That’s right it’s edible. Animals can literally eat them and it would be healthy. You could be encouraged to toss them in to the sea as a source of food. Stuffing biodegradable items into plastic bags that end up in a land fill is absolutely self defeating the purpose. Put it in the compost with rest of the stuff you put there. This is 'compostable.'

(image credit http://creativity-online.com/work/saltwater-brewery-edible-six-pack-rings/46912)