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Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

sdstate.edu

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Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#191

Post by AlecSchueler »

mcv wrote: post #152
alexchamberlain wrote: post #148

The UK banned single use plastic bags at major supermarkets. We all moaned about it for a few minutes, forgot our reusable bags a couple of times and then got on with it. Even the small plastic bags you put fruit or pastries in are now gone in a few super markets - initially, they replaced them with transparent paper-based windowed bags, but then I think people realised you really don't need to see inside the bag, an…

Yeah, I still don't understand why brown paper bags aren't more standard for everything. I do see some manufacturers reducing plastic, fortunately. For example, my box of tea bags used to come wrapped in plastic, and now it suddenly doesn't, and I'm wondering why it ever needed plastic. But there's still so much stuff that comes wrapped in plastic, and often multiple layers of it. Just ban it. There are excellent alt…

> Yeah, I still don't understand why brown paper bags aren't more standard for everything

Because plastic is cheaper. As I understand it it's often got a negative cost to it, the companies are paid to take it and use it.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#192

Post by AlecSchueler »

vanviegen wrote: post #169
alexchamberlain wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think banning plastic completely in packaging is a much harder ask, as whether it is needed is rather nuanced (if I understand it correctly). For example, it's perfectly possible to deliver cucumbers to an end customer without them being shrinkwrapped. However, to deliver enough cucumbers to enough customers for a supermarket scale, I understand from several documentaries that plastic is still required in that case…

The way I understand it, without the wrapping a much larger percentage of cucumbers need to be thrown away before ever being sold, due to spoilage. That's not a win for the environment.

> That's not a win for the environment.

How is this calculated? I know that growing a cucumber has an environmental cost but so does producing plastic, delivering it and then using machines to shrink-wrap every cucumber.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#193

Post by Caelus9 »

Some people are skeptical about biodegradable materials, but honestly, ten years ago nobody believed paper straws would catch on either. I think if we can turn leftover plant waste like grapevines into something useful, there's a real chance to start phasing out throwaway plastics in the kinds of products we only use once and forget.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#194

Post by AlecSchueler »

mcv wrote: post #181
jon_adler wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, all the actual tea bags are usually plastic. The wrapping is probably a small percentage of the plastic in this product.

I'm pretty sure my tea bags are paper, and have always been paper. It's the more recent "pyramid" shaped tea bags that I think are made of plastic. The most recent change to my tea bags was to remove the staple so they could go in organic waste.

You'd be surprised how paper-like the plastic bags appear to be.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#195

Post by lentil_soup »

fractallyte wrote: post #130
odie5533 wrote: post #81

It's a miraculous thing corporations have done convincing us that we're the ones polluting the environment.

I've been down this road before, and been brutally downvoted, but I'll say it again: - corporations are responsible for creating products which can be recycled; - the consumer is responsible for proper disposal of their waste, and also for electing officials who have actual policies on reducing or eliminating pollution; - local government is responsible for setting up recycling centers, and for enforcing correct beha…

ok, but I find this simplification to be what is lazy. Obviously the world isn't as clear cut as only those 3 groups as if they're not intertwined.

And what does "directly responsible for polluting the environment" even mean? If I pay someone to take my trash out and throw it in the ocean am I all of a sudden excempt because I'm not the one "directly" polluting?

Pollution comes from a complex system so it has to be solved as such. Blaming individual participants (specially the ones with less money and power) is reducing the responsability of the rest which is the perfect excuse to do nothing

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#196

Post by AlecSchueler »

forgotusername6 wrote: post #154
sitharus wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate to break it to you, but the loose produce in store isn't clean. That's why you must wash produce before you eat it.

Any washing you do to the produce at home has basically zero chance of killing/removing anything. It's hygiene theatre. People typically don't wash their produce in bleach or soap.

What are you basing this on? If I buy something like parsley and don't wash it then it tastes a bit like fly killer, but if I rinse it thoroughly then it doesn't. Is that just placebo?

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#197

Post by AlecSchueler »

cm2012 wrote: post #104
mrmincent wrote: post #26

I would kill for this for when I’m buying fresh produce at the shops. Right now I just raw dog the produce into my basket as putting 4 apples into a plastic bag to ease the weighing and transport home seems like a selfish thing to do to the environment, but something that starts to break down soon after that sounds great.

People dramatically over weight how bad plastic is for the environment. The impact of a 10 min car ride = 10,000+ plastic bags of emissions. And in first world countries almost no household plastic ends up in the environment.

I cycle to the supermarket and every bush I pass on the way is full of plastic.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#198

Post by ahartmetz »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #194
mcv wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure my tea bags are paper, and have always been paper. It's the more recent "pyramid" shaped tea bags that I think are made of plastic. The most recent change to my tea bags was to remove the staple so they could go in organic waste.

You'd be surprised how paper-like the plastic bags appear to be.

Could try burning a tiny piece and check how it behaves and smells.

Re: Grapevine canes can be converted into plastic-like material that will decompose

#200

Post by bn-usd-mistake »

Caelus9 wrote: post #193

Some people are skeptical about biodegradable materials, but honestly, ten years ago nobody believed paper straws would catch on either. I think if we can turn leftover plant waste like grapevines into something useful, there's a real chance to start phasing out throwaway plastics in the kinds of products we only use once and forget.

Paper straws are horrible, I don't think they should be chosen as a counterexample to skepticism about biodegradable materials.
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