Biodegradable Thermoplastic Materials

The accumulation of plastics waste is a menace of gigantic proportions to the environment. Considering the attractive properties of plastics they will continue to be used in large amounts by the industry and the general public. The strategy to be adopted in this situation is to develop plastic materials that can be easily degraded by the environment after use. Micro-organisms are the natural allies of mankind in this struggle. Of all the methods proposed for handling plastics waste the use of biodegradable plastic materials appear to be the most satisfactory solution. The recently developed low starch content thermoplastics belong to this category. They are based on materials already manufactured using well-established technology. These materials are assimilated into the environment over comparatively short periods of time. They possess properties that are almost as good as the virgin plastic materials for such large volume applications like packaging.