A team of local scientists from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Polymer and Composite Research Group in Port Elizabeth broke new ground when they recently developed 100% biodegradable plastic bags made from agricultural by-products.
The maize and sugar cane bio-based bags are completely biodegradable in mud‚ soil‚ water and compost and break down completely in just three to six months.
So advanced is the technology that the bags can also be recycled. On Monday senior researcher at the CSIR Sudhakar Muniyasamy‚ who led the team that made the discovery‚ said that the new bags had the same durability as normal plastic bags but with “many more advantages”.
“These biodegradable plastic bags can improve market opportunities and end-user industry and reduce the amount of plastic waste in South Africa‚” Muniyasamy told timeslive.co.za.
Sustainability Manager at Plastics SA Jacques Lightfoot believed that the new bags would be good for the environment but had concerns over its effect on existing jobs in the industry: “This bag would have a lot of solutions to what we are facing right now and has its place as long as it doesn’t destroy our recycling sector.”
“We have 1‚800 converters in the industry making plastic products with around about 50‚000 employees‚ and 231 recyclers with close to 5‚000 employees.
“The problem for us is that the normal bags are being recycled so if the new bags are not marked correctly they will contaminate normal bags if they are stored together. We hope it doesn’t affect our recycling industry.”
So advanced is the technology that the bags can also be recycled. On Monday senior researcher at the CSIR Sudhakar Muniyasamy‚ who led the team that made the discovery‚ said that the new bags had the same durability as normal plastic bags but with “many more advantages”.
“These biodegradable plastic bags can improve market opportunities and end-user industry and reduce the amount of plastic waste in South Africa‚” Muniyasamy told timeslive.co.za.
Sustainability Manager at Plastics SA Jacques Lightfoot believed that the new bags would be good for the environment but had concerns over its effect on existing jobs in the industry: “This bag would have a lot of solutions to what we are facing right now and has its place as long as it doesn’t destroy our recycling sector.”
“We have 1‚800 converters in the industry making plastic products with around about 50‚000 employees‚ and 231 recyclers with close to 5‚000 employees.
“The problem for us is that the normal bags are being recycled so if the new bags are not marked correctly they will contaminate normal bags if they are stored together. We hope it doesn’t affect our recycling industry.”
