In regard to disposable cutlery and utensils, lets understand which one of the Cornstarch-based bio plastics or Wood-based products has less impact on the environment and ultimately their fate in landfills and oceans which helps us to make right decision in using these products in daily life.
As discussed in other article “Insight into PLA and PSM based bioplastics” compostable bio-plastics are often made from polylactic acid (PLA) or Plastarch material (PSM) which is often derived from corn (but it’s also possible to make it from other plants, such as wheat, barley, and potatoes). On the other side, there’s wood, which comes from, trees and bamboo. Both are actually better compared to conventional plastics which are made from carbon-based polymers sourced from petroleum. Disposing of them is problematic as you burn them and the toxic chemicals are released into the environment which is harmful or place them in a landfill, and they will be there for hundreds of years. So, if you have to choose between Cornstarch based bioplastics or wood, the later gives you better result for one’s effort.
Although it takes more resources to produce wooden items, when you look at the entire lifecycle of a product, wood has less impact on environment. Another factor to consider when it comes to PLA or PSM, which comes from corn, as it does, it’s very likely they are derived from GMOs. Wooden utensils, which are sometimes treated with wax or another food-safe coating, tend to come from fast-growing species such as bamboo and birch. But wood’s real advantage comes after you’re done with it. PLA utensils can in theory be compostable; they will break down under the right conditions and leave no toxic waste behind. But the key here are the “right conditions”. PLA and PSM won’t disintegrate efficiently in a backyard compost pile, as it needs the heat and microbes found at commercial composting facilities to get the job done. And even then, those bioplastic utensils might stick around a lot longer than advertised. So, chances are high these compostable plastics will end up in a landfill, where they’ll emit climate-warming methane instead of fulfilling their true destinies. Wood cutlery, though, looks like something that belongs in a compost bin. Better still, you don’t even need a big facility for wood to break down, at least, the stuff composts nicely right in a backyard bin.
In regard to landing in ocean, given its composition, it’s very likely a wooden spoon would decompose more quickly than a PLA or PSM spoon if it found its way out to sea.
So, there you have it: Wood over plastic. You might have to spend over a little more cash for wooden options, but truly it’s worthwhile.
PRODUCTS:
ECO-FRIENDLY WOODEN CUTLERY