Perf Go Green Biodegradable Plastics - UPDATE: Not So Biodegradable After All
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10. 5.08
Perf Go Green, a new biodegradable plastic company based in New York, has developed a line of products that may significantly aid in eliminating plastic waste. Their products include a wide range of bags, from commercial trash bags to plastic drop cloths. Considering the huge volume of bags that hit the landfill every year, replacing them with a biodegradable alternative could prove to be a huge step towards environmental improvement. And the process behind their creation is just as intriguing.
How Biodegradable Plastic is Made:
From the website:
Perf Go Green products incorporate recycled plastics that are combined with an Oxo-Biodegradable proprietary application method to produce the film for its bags. Based on environmental claims statements made by the manufacturer of the Oxo-Biodegradable applied to our bags, when discarded in soil and exposed to the presence of microorganisms, moisture and oxygen, we believe Perf Go Green products biodegrade, decomposing into simple materials found in nature much faster than regular plastics, which can take hundreds of years to break down. Through this process and the use of recycled plastics, Perf Go Green
effectively removes plastic waste from the environment.
There still seems to be some speculation involved in the long-term biodegradability of the Perf bags, as acknowledged on the website. Let’s hope the Oxo-Biodegradable manufacturer’s claims prove accurate, and we see a rise in use of biodegradable plastic bags.
UPDATE:
Evidently my (albeit mild) skepticism has proven warranted: I've recently learned that research has been done on these very bags, and they are not in fact, biodegradable. They are made out of recycled plastic, and therefore still more environmentally sound than your garden variety plastic bag. However, the bags "biodegrade" only by dissolving into still-existent tiny plastic particles that can then move in groundwater. They cannot be reabsorbed into the earth in any way that could really be considered sustainable.
More on Biodegradable Plastics:
Natureworks PLA Biodegradable Plastic Packaging
Argentinian Scientists Develop Biodegradable Material Similar to Plastic
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Biodegradable bags is an awesome and revolutionizing product, I've seen only a few in some stores but hope that supermarkets begin to adopt them as their plastic bag. And I'm glad the word is getting out as today our farmer's market guy had them at his stand!!
About time
I believe that governments should immediately make biobags the only type that are allowed in their countries. Reducing consumption has worked in the UK, the next step is to make sure consumption is less of an issue.
I want to be assured that these bags DO biodegrade and NOT photodegrade as plastics are notorious for. Photodegradation is horrible for it never gets fully recycled back into the earth. If they are being truthful then this is the greatest invention to eliminate waste! Awesome.
Holly crud --- this reads more like an ad for the company's products and less like a Treehugger article.
One of the few statements I like in this post is
Hey, read the updates! don't be so optimistic, read till the end of the article!
Just buy a reusable bag and throw it in your trunk. Or at least use a paper bag...
Even if they were biodegradable... will this mean more non-food crops when we're struggling to find space to grow food? and where does it go? anaerobic digestion and appropriate collection facilities first please before you get too excited. I'm with eugene... get a canvas bag, reuse it, mend it and use it again!
@Brian,
Thanks for the update.
Cloth bags have existed for years, quit being so F-ing lazy and bring your own! Nowadays it's cool!
what research contradicts the companies claim? Because i must admit i am quite skeptic about the authors sources..
I work in the plant that produces bio plastics in Nebraska, it is a very interesting process, and the effect on corn for human consumption is insignificant.