US-based nonprofit Plastic Oceans International claims that more than 10 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year. Meanwhile, it can take more than 400 years for plastic to degrade, and 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been manufactured since the mid-1900s.
Part of the solution may have been found in Idaho Falls. Since its founding in 2011, global manufacturer BioLogiQ has been working on a way to create eco-friendly plastic products made from renewable materials. BioLogiQ CEO Steven Sherman: “[In 2011], we started making plastic from potato waste, specifically the starch from the potato waste. We then have been, from that time, doing various research and development activities.”
When BioLogiQ’s technology is combined with other plastic products, Sherman said, it allows the plastics to degrade faster because microorganisms that eat the plastics have a much easier time breaking down things like starch and glycerin. Up to 30% of a product can include NuPlastiQ, Sherman said.
Source: potatonewstoday.com