As we all know by now, plastic is not fantastic. But how can we solve this issue?

Enter bioplastics. Bioplastics, like all plastics, have a base made of macromolecules with some added ingredients. But what makes bioplastics different is that their macromolecules are bio-based and/or the product is capable of biodegrading. Bio-based means that the materials are of biological origin, like animals, plants, bacteria, algae, and fungi. Importantly, just because a product is bio-based does not automatically mean it is also biodegradable.

While bioplastics account for less than 2% of all plastics, up to 90% of fossil-based plastics could technically be substituted with bioplastics.

Let’s explore five unique bioplastics!

Saving The Sea

The world uses over five trillion plastic bags each year, and these bags never fully decompose; they fragment into microplastics. Once in oceans, plastic bags damage ecosystems, hurt organisms, and cause millions of dollars in economic costs.

But these harms do not have to continue. Takuzo Aida and his research team have created a bioplastic bag that dissolves within hours when placed in seawater without leaving microplastics behind, according to the researchers. This bag can be classified as a bioplastic because it is made from cellulose, a type of macromolecule that is naturally-occurring and therefore bio-based.

Waste Not

Bioplastics could help reduce food waste, too. Food waste that contains bio-based macromolecules such as cellulose or starch has the potential to be transformed into bioplastics.

This is an exciting concept because food waste rotting in landfills emits an estimated 58% of the methane gas released from U.S. municipal solid waste landfills. Methane is a type of greenhouse gas that is exacerbating the climate crisis.

Orange Peels

Orange peels have high cellulose levels and are thus well-suited to be converted into bioplastics. Although more research is required, pulverizing and combining orange peels with other materials yields a bioplastic that has similar properties to traditional plastic. This bioplastic should be able to biodegrade in natural conditions in four or more months while being environmentally safe.

Chicken Feathers

The UNLOCK project is experimenting with a bioplastic made from chicken feathers. Chicken feathers are high in a protein called keratin which is known to be both durable and biodegradable. By extracting keratin from these feathers, scientists have been able to create a biodegradable plastic alternative while reducing landfill waste.

Rice Husks

Like orange peels, rice husks have a high cellulose content. Combining cellulose extracted from rice husks with other materials creates a biodegradable bioplastic. 

Importantly, rice husks are often managed by combustion in open air; nonetheless, turning rice husks into a bioplastic is still beneficial. A 2022 study found that using rice husks to create a bioplastic led to a 82% reduction in human health impact and a 74% reduction in environmental cost compared to combusting them.

An Idea We Should Not Swat Away

Many people might view flies as a nuisance, but we shouldn’t be telling them to buzz-off. Scientists are exploring bioplastics made from black soldier flies. The exoskeleton of black soldier flies is reinforced by a sugar-based, biodegradable polymer called chitin. Scientists hope to use a broken-down form of this polymer to manufacture a biodegradable bioplastic. 

A potential issue with bioplastics is that producing their bio-based materials strains land use. Using adult black soldier flies, however, avoids this issue. Black soldier flies are often farmed for the purpose of using their larvae, and adult flies are soon discarded after the completion of their short lifespan. Creating bioplastic from these flies uses a waste stream that already exists, rather than requiring new crops or land.

The Solution Isn’t Clear

These five products exhibit some of the advantages of bioplastics. Bioplastics built from food waste and dead organisms support the idea of a circular economy, where one product’s waste is the material for a new product. Additionally, biodegradable bioplastics can help reduce our impact on the planet.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that even bioplastics are still damaging to the environment. 

As briefly mentioned, harvesting plants for bioplastics can strain land use. There are concerns that an increase in agricultural land used for bioplastic materials could impact the food system by causing a jump in food prices. And the fertilizers required to cultivate these materials can cause acidification and eutrophication. 

There are also worries surrounding the disposal of bioplastics. Proper bioplastic recycling facilities are not widespread, and not all bioplastics can be recycled with traditional plastic. For example, as little as 1% contamination of PLA bioplastic in the waste stream of one of the most recycled plastics, HDPE, can negatively affect the quality of recycled HDPE.

Additionally, while bioplastics can be better than conventional plastics, there are still concerns about the ways in which bioplastics contribute to climate change during their life cycle.

Plastic Does Not Have To Be Permanent

When it comes down to it, the type of plastic that should make you the most enthusiastic is simply no plastic at all. And you can help make this a reality!

You can start by exploring our End Plastics campaign to learn more about the threats of plastics and to take action. 

From there, you can calculate your plastic footprint and make yearly plastic reduction goals. You can hold yourself accountable by taking a plastic pledge. And you can sign our Global Plastics Petition to call on the United Nations and Governmental organizations to decrease plastic production worldwide.

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We’ve all seen the stories about plastic pollution in the ocean. But the journey of plastic pollution begins much farther inland, passing directly through cities and communities that depend on those waterways. 

Along the way, microplastics contaminate drinking water, freshwater habitats, and food systems long before it reaches the coast. In fact, nearly 80% of marine plastic originates from land-based products, with rivers serving as one of the main pathways transporting it to the ocean. 

Researchers have documented impacts from plastic pollution in inland cities like St. Louis, Baton Rouge, and around Lake Mead. Fortunately, local organizations and community leaders are working to reduce plastic pollution at its source, thus protecting waterways and communities upstream. 

Caught in the Current

The Mississippi River is one of the most studied rivers in the country when it comes to plastic, and the numbers show a growing problem. Scientists sampling the river found that microplastic levels actually increase as the river passes through St. Louis on its way south instead of thinning out. Researchers at St. Louis University discovered 237 different types of microplastics in riverbed sediment across the Meramec watershed, connecting contamination to nearby land use and local pollution sources.

To tackle the problem, the city joined the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative partnering with other mayors along the river to volunteer to track and log plastic waste through a simple smartphone app. Locally, organizations like the Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper map where plastics show up the most with the bigger goal as organizers from the University City’s Department of Public works state “preventing more, picking up less,” putting pressure on companies that contribute to the creation of the world’s single-use plastics in the first place.

Hooked on Plastic 

The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sits along a stretch of the Mississippi near a major petrochemical corridor; here, plastics have already made it into the food system. The lower Mississippi River carries around 328 billion microplastic particles into the Gulf of Mexico each year. Water samples that were collected upstream and downstream from Baton Rouge all contained concentrations of microplastics. 

The evidence doesn’t stop at the water’s surface. Microplastics have been found in four freshwater fish species from the Mississippi River, including bluegill and largemouth bass, showing that plastic pollution has already worked its way into the food web. The pattern continues in nearby St. Francisville where 12.66% of sampled fish contained microplastics, underscoring how plastic pollution is affecting aquatic life in the lower Mississippi River.  

Taking matters into their own hands, Baton Rouge residents formed the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition, an all-volunteer group that organizes regular cleanups along waterways like the Bayou Fountain and assisted in the development of a stormwater litter management plan. The coalition partnered with local organizations to install a 75 foot litter catcher that captures floating plastic before it reaches other downstream locations. 

Drinking Downstream 

Out west, the source of pollution looks different but the risk may even be more personal. The Colorado River moves through farms, cities, and deserts before flowing into Lake Mead, a reservoir that supplies drinking water to nearly 25 million people across the Southwest. 

Microplastics have been found throughout the reservoir’s water and lakebed with one sediment core preserving nearly 19 years of plastic buildup. Much of that contamination has been traced back to Las Vegas Wash, a channel that carries treated wastewater from four treatment plants. 

The problem reaches far beyond Lake Mead. A separate survey detected microplastics in every Colorado river and stream sampled, highlighting the scale of contamination across a watershed that supplies water to around 40 million people and supports 5.5 million acres of farmland.

Communities across the Colorado River Basin are responding by monitoring plastic pollution and restoring waterways before contaminants spread farther downstream. Volunteers and local organizations like Environment Colorado continue to document the presence of microplastics in waterways. At the same time, long term restoration efforts along the Las Vegas Wash work to improve water quality by stabilizing streambanks and restoring wetlands before water enters Lake Mead. Together these efforts recognize that protecting drinking water begins long before it reaches the tap. 

You Don’t Need a Coastline to Take Action

The stories of St. Louis, Baton Rouge, and Lake Mead show that inland communities are not waiting for plastic pollution to reach the coast before taking action. Across the country residents, researchers, and local organizations are finding new ways to track and reduce plastic pollution before it enters rivers, reservoirs, and food systems. 

The fight against plastic pollution begins with you. Visit EARTHDAY.ORG’S the Great Global Cleanup map to find a cleanup near you or register one in your own community. 

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This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at woods@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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