Once again thanks a lot for discovering plastic eating bacteria.

I have been following your endless blog postings of your claims, why are you so desperate for sales? I think I know why!

Your ‘so called’ Bioplast in NOT a Bioplastic, it is NOT certified as biodegradable OR compostable by any of the authorities(OK Compost, BPI, DIN CERTCO) that issue the specifications you claim, in fact the ONLY people that have ‘tested’ your products are YOU!!

Your BioPlast is made from FOSSIL FUEL based plastic, producing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses worldwide in manufacturing.

Plastics are proven to attract high levels of poisonous chemicals, and your BioPlast will break down into small particles that after collecting poisonous chemicals, could be taken up by the food chain and poison the eco-system, right up to us.

Your BioPlast is ADDING to greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, these are the cause of climate change that is linked to increasing crop failures.

The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday, and yet you are still happy to pollute with your CO2 generating plastics????

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080606/japan_iea_climate_change.html

The answer is NOT Mr BioPLast and his enzymes !!

The answer is plant based plastics ;)

Plant based plastics ARE biodegradable and compostable(many compostable at home) and certified as such.

Plant based plastics REDUCE greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as the plants grow. Growing more plants for plastic would REDUCE greenhouse gases and help reverse climate change AND crop failures.

One study shows that “every pound of soy-based polymers produced instead of petroleum-based removes 2.1 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere”.

Another study shows that in manufacture, plant based plastics use 30% less energy and create just 25% of the greenhouse gases that fossil fuel plastics do. Also starch based plastics consume 2190 kg of GHG per tonne of plastic whilst the plants are growing.

If you want plant based plastic bags, made from potato and corn starch, and manufactured in the UK,(and cheaper than Tesco or Sainsburys!) head to:

http://www.comp-bio.co.uk

For the plant based plastic just go to:

http://www.stanelcoplc.com

So I do believe that we need to talk about the lifestyle benefits of freeing ourselves from “convenience”. Refilling beautiful containers brings a certain amount of grace to consumption. Bulk foods are healthier, less processed or unprocessed foods. Gardening is beautiful. Living greener is more fulfilling.

Beth, I’m totally with you on this one. While I commend this student for creating a project that deals with a current issue, I’m not convinced this clinches the underlying problem, which is our dependence on oil. As you know, the US consumes an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to make plastic bags. Although his project is able to convert those bags into CO2 and H2O, it still leaves me puzzled as to why we’d want to use oil for this purpose. I’m also not sure how this process would be carried out on a macro level.

Put it this way, I’m still going to use my reusable bags and forgo the use of plastic bags altogether.

:0)
M

However, evolution being what evolution is, there is no reason to believe that such microbes will necessarily break down plastics without leaving by-products (within their bodies, to be released when they die, or excreted immediately) that will be toxics to humans…or other microorganisms, like plankton, or fish, or you name it.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing, what this kid has found. But it’s no substitute for not polluting the environment in the first place. And it would be rash to release these bugs into the environment without a lot of careful, careful study.

Red tides are bacterial. All natural, too. And very, very toxic. Give an organism food, and a niche in the ecosystem, and it will take advantage of that. Which might–or might not–turn out to work well for other living things.

Blame Canada, blame Canada!

Worried about unintended consequences, having read too much science fiction …