Name: Nur Amisha Binti Ruslan

Matric no :2019204828

Group:PI007K07

Title:The use of bioplastics is not a better alternative to traditional plastics.

I.INTRODUCTION

- The use of bioplastics is not a better alternative to traditional plastics as bioplastic give a
negative impacts to our environment , the decomposition of bioplastic can be very
complicated and the production cost of bioplastic is not affordable to everyone.

II.BODY

A. Bioplastic give a negative impacts to our environment

1. The production of bioplastic can lead to higher amounts of pollutants

(Cho, 2017)

a) According to Cho (2017) , the situation happened because of the

fertilisers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical
processing is a compulsory in order to convert the crops into a
bioplastics.

b) The bioplastics contributed more to ozone depletion than the

traditional plastics and required extensive land use for the raw
materials. (Cho, 2017)
 2.The Production of bioplastic resulted to the least of food production

a) Sugars and starches harvested from crops that otherwise might be

grown for food for people were used to produce a bioplastic. (Cho,
2017)

b) Cho (2017) claims that taking more agricultural land out of

production could cause a crucial rise in food prices that would affect
the poorer harder.

B.The decomposition of bioplastic can be very complicated

1. Composting of bioplastic can be very slow when it was done in a cold

weather. (Ayres, 2019)

a)During times of high humidity, the process almost comes to a

complete stop (Ayres, 2019)

b) bioplastics cannot decompose in ocean water as the environment in

the ocean is too cold for the material. (Ayres, 2019)

2.The decomposition process of bioplastic must be effective

a) In order to decompose bioplastic effectively, the specific procedure must

be followed to ensure the decomposition process was done effectively
without causing pollutive effect to our environment.. (Ayres, 2019)

b)A study by Ayres (2019) found that if we throw out these plastics in
the landfill like the traditional items, they will follow a path that is
similar to the non-biodegradable option.
 C. The production cost of bioplastic is not affordable to everyone

1.Cho (2017) states that the production of bioplastic are quite costy.

a) The Polylactic Acid (PLA) can be up to 20 to 50 percent greater

than comparable materials because of the complicated process in order
to transform corn or sugarcane into the building blocks for PLA. (Cho,
2017)

b) Ayres (2019) states that at our latest technology levels, it cots up to

50% more in order to produce bioplastics as compared to how it does
to deploy the traditional production cycle.

2. A study by Cho (2017) found that a few of companies has developed a new
method to replace plastic altogether .

a) The Japanese design company, AMAM, has create a packaging

materials made from the agar in red marine algae. (Cho, 2017)

b) The U.S. Department of Agriculture has invent a biodegradable and

edible film from the milk protein casein to wrap food which is a lot
more better at keeping food fresh than traditional plastic film. (Cho,
2017)

III.CONCLUSION

- It is clear that the use of bioplastic is not a good alternative to replace the traditional
plastic as it give a negative impacts to our environment , the decomposition of
bioplastic can be very complicated and the production cost of bioplastic is not
affordable to everyone.

References
Ayres, C. (2019). Bioplastics: Environmentally Friendly? Retrieved from
https://connectusfund.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biodegradable-plastics

Cho, R. (2017). The Truth about Bioplastics . Retrieved from https://ei.columbia.edu/the-truth-

about-bioplastics/