Tough Love: Disintegrating Polystyrene
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09. 4.07
Shanpu Ya and colleagues at the Polymer Science & Engineering College of Quingdao University of Science & Technology in China have applied for a patent on a biodegradable polystyrene. They embed water-absorbing resin particles which expand when in contact with water, reducing the polystyrene to powder that they say should then biodegrade.
They say it is actually cheaper than conventional foamed polystyrene, so it " should therefore be readily adopted by cost-conscious companies that also want to be environmentally responsible."
We suppose this is progress. However when we have to throw out this stuff we still have to deal with the volume it takes in our garbage bags, the waste of single use packaging that is still hydrocarbon based, and the cartage to the dump. They fact that it will eventually biodegrade is perhaps a good thing, But wouldn't it be better to design packaging so that the packing is recyclable or not needed at all? ::New Scientist
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Myes, it would be better to make packaging you can recycle. It would be even better to simply make some convenient form of durable re-useable packaging, though. "You mean cardboard boxes?" Not quite..
Seriously though, wouldn't it be sweet if I could go to the shop, fill my trolley with all sorts of wonderful goodies, pay for them, and then put them in a big, sturdy carrier box of some sort. Then I take the stuff home, put all my goodies away and fill the carrier box with, say, my recyclable waste and put it out on the curb. Along comes the garbage man, who empties my box in his lovely garbage truck and takes all the rubbish to an appropriate recycling facility. But the kind man in question could also take my box with him to said facility. Hundreds more would arrive there, and from there they would be taken back to shops across the area.
Wouldn't that be grand? Sure, you could take your own box (or bag or anything you please) to the shop and use that over and over again. This would be ever so slightly more convenient though.
Oh, quit whining. I don't think ever article about progress has to include a "but".
Always be cautious of the magic chemical bullet. What exactly are the breakdown products of the microscopic foam particles, once bacteria go to work on them? Is it really a good idea to take a manageable foam chunks and break them down into micro sized particles capable of being entrained into surface and groundwater flows?
These and several other questions must be thoughtfully addressed prior to commercialization. Risk management takes a great deal more life cycle investigation than is indicated by these authors.
How about edible packaging? My favorite would be vanilla.
Doesn't sound like this really biodegrades, and the resin will penerate the ground more quickly and easily - just a spin?