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Starch-based bioplastic may be as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, study finds
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 13 May 2025
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Ok so what do we want? Toxic plastics that last forever or toxic plastics that break down in the environment after 3-5 years?
Because that is the gambit here. We're not going going to just get rid of plastics altogether.
Also, this article is setting off my BS meter by claiming plastics contain 16,000 toxic substances but not showing how much of that is realistically possible to get into your body. The dose makes the poison!
"This spider contains 1300 toxic substances—one of which will kill you if even a tiny droplet gets in your blood! And these spiders are out in the environment!"
Less plastic is what I want. The world is addicted and we need safe alternatives. Reduce and reuse come before recycle for a reason.
Plastic is useful in a lot of applications, but does it really need to be in everything from our clothes to our shopping bags to our bodies?
Unfortunately, most bioplastics are more like 300 years, which yes, is significantly better than 300 thousand years, and with industrial compost heaters you can push those 300 years down. But I've also had to come to terms that my failed 3D prints will likely outlive me (although I do collect the waste to hopefully recycle someday). I don't print that much compared to most in the hobby, but it is something I consider before I print things.
That said, I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good, and the biodegradability of bioplastics is still exponentially better than petroleum plastic.
I smell petroleum company money.
Hm, depends how 'breaking down' is defined. Because it usually doesn't mean there's no toxic substance left. Instead, plastic degradation often IS the formation of micro or nano plastics. In this case, it's irrelevant how long this process takes without knowing how long it takes until there's no toxicity left.
Also, if something is described as 'biodegradable', I wouldn't blame a consumer for composting it. And if it actually poisons the compost, that's net harm. So, it'd be actively harmful green washing.
It is crucially relevant how long decay takes. That's why there's microplastics in your food and your body. Because plastic does not degrade for hundreds of years. Fucking Obviously, that is the single most important aspect of it.
I think “no plastics” is actually what we want
Or maybe qualify that as "minimal plastics".
Are there any good alternatives though?
wood/paper, glass, metal.
For some use-cases, sure. But so many products today are only affordable (or even possible) because of plastic.
How would you make an affordable computer, for example, without plastic?
Okay, no more cheap computer sorry. You don't just get to destroy the planet to save a few bucks
There are many medically necessary items that can't be replaced by anything but some form of plastic.
I think it's safe to say that there are obvious differences in how the medical industry uses plastic (and the kind of plastic they use) compared to the food packing industry. One directly contributes to overconsumption, the other.. probably does as well, logically, but to a lesser degree with considerably higher payoff.
This is the statement at the root of this comment chain. This does not distinguish between use cases.
It should, is my point. Everything is nuanced.
Can't you see? We don't want to safe a few bucks. We want to be able to afford it without having to sacrifice our children's school tuition saving for it.
I would also like to afford a Ferrari without sacrificing my childs school tuition.
Good thing Ferrari has released a "child slave" option, cutting the price of a Ferrari by half!
Let's prioritise NOT destroying the planet first, then worry about you being able to afford brand new computers after.
That was just one example of many
Don't forget hemp
And bamboo.