THE CHOICE IS YOURS! BIOPLASTICS FOR CLEANER ENVIRONMENT

Plastic bags are all around us. They hang on trees and bushes. They pollute our sidewalks, lawns and fields. To inspire for a change, a group of students decided to produce bioplastics at school. They strongly believe that the usage of alternative plastics is the solution for much cleaner environment.

Every day, millions of people enter thousands of shops all around the world. They use tons of plastic bags that end up in landfills or are just thrown away in improper places. These bags cause a serious hazard to the wildlife. "The amount of waste in the natural environment is growing, despite the regular cleaning by volunteers" said Ján Bušo, chairman of the hunting association of the village of Dolné Sŕnie. Discarded bags often contain food leftovers. "If wild animals accidentally consume plastic materials together with food remains, they can die” Mr Bušo added. Illegal landfills in the vicinity of roads and forest paths cause problems not only for hunters but also for farmers. They are a source of widespread diseases and the garbage stored there leaks into the soil, too.

THE NUMBERS ARE ALARMING

The average yearly consumption of plastic bags in Europe is 200 per person. But an average person in Slovakia uses much more - up to 446 a year! To deal with the problem, a new law on compulsory charging for plastic bags has been passed, and will come into force in 2019. The students´ survey showed that plastic bags are already being charged in most supermarket chains in Nove Mesto nad Vahom. Paper and textile bags are also offered. However, their price is higher.

Supermarkets can hardly influence the number of the sold plastic bags. For example, in the Billa supermarket, the cost of bags is rising sharply but people still buy them. Students believe that another step towards a cleaner environment could be to make shops obliged to offer biodegradable bags as an alternative to plastic ones.

BIOPLASTICS MADE BY STUDENTS

Bioplastic is a material made of renewable raw materials. In some cases, it is also biodegradable. Students wanted to try it out. They spent a few months in the lab trying to make bioplastic. After several unsuccessful attempts, they finally produced a sample. First success was followed by stress tests, observations of decomposition rate under various conditions as well as water and heat effects.

In the stress test, their samples were excellent. The result was comparable to conventional plastic. However, the speed of decomposition was surprising. While ordinary plastic lasts hundreds of years to decompose, bioplastic from the lab did not last even for a hundred days.

Results of students´ experiment caught the attention of the jury of a Secondary school scientific projects competition, and BIOPLASTICS research paper was awarded with the first prize.

Even though the bioplastic produced by the students degraded fast, bioplastics have a potential to replace conventional plastic materials. "Today, there are technologies that can produce bioplastic bags that are comparable to conventional plastic bags," said Branislav Monok, an expert on waste and composting from Friends of the Earth Slovakia.

BIOPLASTICS IN PRACTICE

Although bioplastic bags are not firm enough for heavier contents, they could be perfect in schools where waste bags are changed on a daily basis. Students from Stefanik´s Gymnazium decided to test them as a part of Litter Less Campaign activities.

After bioplastic bags serve their purpose, they can be composted in a home compost bin. This has been confirmed by the school experiment, too. The students monitored soil pH after the decomposition of a sample, and it turned out to be neutral. They also observed the presence of small invertebrates. In their opinion, the test showed a good result.

INFORMATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

People are used to regular plastic bags, any many do not even know about the bioplastic alternative. This has also been proved by the students´ survey. Almost none of the respondents knew what the bioplastics were. That is why students published an information leaflet, and distributed it to 300 municipalities all over Slovakia. In some places, the leaflet has been displayed on municipal boards.

In the future, students would like to spread the leaflet to most villages in Slovakia, and make the information available to the broader public. „Raising awareness is the first step for a change”, they said.

WE HAVE A CHOICE

Bioplastic products are commonly offered by e-shops. Their price is comparable to the price of ordinary plastic products. It is important to let people know about bioplastics, and to explain the difference. The more they know about it, the better.

There exist many alternatives to ordinary plastic bags. We no longer have to be slaves of ordinary plastics. Let's start with bioplastics towards a greener future.