Traditional plastic forks shed harmful microplastics. Plastic created from sugar is an alternative

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Category: Science/Environment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. persistent / pərˈsɪs tənt / (adj.) – describing something that lasts or continues to exist for a long time; not easily disappearing or stopping
    Example:

    Plastic pollution can be persistent, remaining in the environment for many years.


  2. ferment / fərˈmɛnt / (v.) – to use microorganisms such as yeast or bacteria to change a substance into another substance
    Example:

    The food company ferments milk with bacteria to make yogurt.


  3. bendy / ˈbɛn di / (adj.) – flexible; easy to bend
    Example:

    This material is bendy, so you can fold it easily.


  4. wild card / ˈwaɪldˌkɑrd / (n.) – something unexpected or unpredictable that could change the situation
    Example:

    The company’s new technology is a wild card because we don’t yet know how people will react to it.


  5. fragment / frægˈmɛnt / (v.) – to break something into smaller pieces or parts
    Example:

    Over time, the stone fragments into smaller pieces when exposed to heat and moisture.


Article

Read the text below.

At a Massachusetts lab, pebble-sized pellets are transformed into forks and films that won’t leave persistent microplastics in the environment.


These are bioplastic pellets. CJ Biomaterials ferments sugar to make plant-based polymers that microbes will consume. These alternatives to traditional plastics made of fossil fuels are seen by some as one of many solutions needed to confront global plastic pollution.


At the company’s Woburn research facility, lab technicians recently poured pellets into a molding machine to make forks. The test forks were thin enough for home composting, though too bendy for stabbing a steak. Other batches have been rigid, similar to a typical plastic fork. The technicians melted pellets to roll out flexible films for food packaging, like a bag for baby carrots. The film was quite strong but not stretchy like cling wrap.


Technicians from CJ Biomaterials are figuring out how the pellets’ biopolymers can make products with attributes similar to conventional plastics, but that can go in a composting bin instead of a trash can. Forks and films are breaking down in the lab’s compost bin. Straws that were added are long gone. A recently tossed-in knife showed pitting on the surface as bacteria colonized it, starting to consume the material.


Plastics have never really fundamentally been disrupted. Now, interest in bioplastics is growing because of concern over microplastics. It’s the new “wild card” in this market, said the company’s marketing director Leah Ford.


“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and the compostability has always been a really strong driver. But with the greater understanding of microplastics, I think, that’s going to change how people think about materials,” she said.


Traditional plastics last for decades or even centuries as they fragment into harmful microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics. Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water, and in a wide range of body tissues.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The article says traditional plastics can remain for decades or centuries, and plastic particles have been found in food, water, air, and body tissues. How does this information affect your view of plastic use? How would you change the way you use plastic after knowing that it could stay in the environment for centuries? Discuss.
  • The lab is trying to make bioplastic products that are more like traditional plastics while still being compostable. Which do you think is more important: to reduce plastic use or to find better types of plastic? Why do you say so? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Technicians from CJ Biomaterials are trying to make bioplastics work like traditional plastics. Do you think it’s necessary to produce bioplastics that work like traditional plastics? Why do you say so? Would you use or buy bioplastic products even if they do not work as well as traditional plastics? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Bioplastic technology is being developed for ordinary objects such as forks, knives, straws, and food-packaging films. What everyday plastic item would be hardest for you to give up or replace, and why? Discuss.