How can we fix our plastic waste problem? - BBC News
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the persistent issue of plastic waste and introduces innovative solutions. Companies like Polymateria are developing biodegradable plastics that can break down into wax-like substances under certain conditions, attracting microbes to fully return to nature within a year. Products include food packaging, face masks, and hygiene items. Epoch Biodesign is another firm focusing on enzyme technology to break down plastic waste into reusable chemicals for new products, aiming to address the 100 million-tonne annual plastic problem.
Takeaways
- 🌍 A generation is demanding change in how we deal with plastic, acknowledging its negative side effects while recognizing its utility.
- 🔄 The challenge is that all plastic ever created still exists, necessitating innovative solutions for its management.
- 🌱 Companies like Polymateria are developing biodegradable plastics that can break down under certain conditions such as heat, air, and sunlight.
- 📦 Polymateria's products are used in food packaging and cups, and they are now expanding into other materials like face masks and hygiene products.
- 🛠 The biodegradation process involves three stages: time control, transformation into a wax-like state, and attraction of microbes for complete breakdown.
- ⏱ The self-destructing feature of the plastic can be adjusted at the point of manufacture to control the rate of degradation.
- 🧪 The final biodegradation results in a soft, powdery substance that is harmless and disappears, unlike microplastics which persist.
- 📈 Other companies are also tackling the plastic problem, with Epoch Biodesign focusing on enzymes that break down plastic waste into reusable chemicals.
- 🔬 The scientific community is encouraged to rigorously review the data and methods used in these plastic solutions to ensure their effectiveness.
- 🌱 The ultimate goal is to create a significant impact on the annual 100 million-tonne plastic problem and find sustainable alternatives.
Q & A
What is the main issue with plastic as mentioned in the transcript?
-The main issue is that all of the plastic ever created still exists in some form somewhere, contributing to environmental pollution.
How does Polymateria's approach to plastic revolutionize the industry?
-Polymateria creates products that biodegrade in certain conditions like heat, air, moisture, or sunlight, aiming to return the material back into nature.
What new types of materials is Polymateria moving into?
-Polymateria is moving into creating alternatives for materials used in face masks, women's hygiene products, and wipes.
How does the biodegradation process of Polymateria's plastic work?
-The process involves three core steps: time control to transition the material from a plastic-like state to a wax-like state, then the wax draws in microbes, fungi, and bacteria to fully biodegrade the material back to nature in less than a year.
What is unique about the biodegradation of Polymateria's plastic compared to traditional plastic?
-Polymateria's plastic transforms into a soft, wax-like substance that is harmless and biodegradable, unlike traditional plastic which remains unchanged and harmful to the environment.
What are the advantages of Polymateria's biodegradable plastic in terms of handling and appearance?
-The biodegradable plastic appears and feels the same as traditional plastic until it starts to transform, making it user-friendly and less noticeable in terms of change.
How does Epoch Biodesign approach the plastic problem differently?
-Epoch Biodesign focuses on designing enzymes that break down plastic waste into building blocks for new products like paints, coatings, fertilizers, cleaning products, and ultimately new plastic.
What is the significance of publishing papers in the field for companies like Polymateria?
-Publishing papers allows companies to share their data and research, making it available for rigorous review by other experts in the field, which enhances credibility and transparency.
What is the '100 million tonne per annum problem' referred to in the transcript?
-The '100 million tonne per annum problem' refers to the massive amount of plastic waste produced annually that needs to be addressed.
Why is it important to find solutions for plastic waste even if new plastic production is halted?
-Even if new plastic production is stopped, there are already 10 billion tons of plastic waste that need to be managed and dealt with effectively.
How does the beauty of biology play a role in solving the plastic problem according to Epoch Biodesign?
-Biology allows for chemical reactions to occur at low temperatures and pressures, enabling the use of enzymes to break down plastics into their building blocks for reuse.
Outlines
🌱 Revolutionizing Plastic with Biodegradable Alternatives
The video script discusses the generational demand for change in the face of plastic pollution and highlights the innovative work of companies like Polymateria. These companies are developing plastics that can biodegrade under certain conditions such as heat, air, moisture, or sunlight, aiming to return the material to nature. Polymateria's plastic alternative, used in food packaging and cups, is now being adapted for other products like face masks, women's hygiene products, and wipes. The script explains the three core aspects of the biodegradation process: time control to transition the plastic into a wax-like state, and the subsequent attraction of microbes and fungi to fully break down the material within a year. The video contrasts the transformation of these biodegradable plastics with traditional microplastics, emphasizing the harmless and natural decomposition process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biodegradable
💡Plastic Pollution
💡Polymateria
💡Biodegradation
💡Time Control
💡Microplastics
💡Enzymes
💡Circular Economy
💡Wax-like State
💡Self-Destructing
💡Banana Peel
Highlights
A generation is demanding change in plastic usage.
Plastic's negative side effects are acknowledged, but its benefits are also recognized.
All plastic ever created still exists, highlighting a major environmental issue.
Companies are creating biodegradable plastics that can degrade under certain conditions.
Polymateria's plastic alternative is used for food packaging and cups, and is now expanding to other products.
The company is developing materials for face masks, women's hygiene products, and wipes.
The biodegradation process is controlled by time, with a 'self-destructing' feature.
The material transitions from a plastic-like state to a wax-like state within weeks.
The wax attracts microbes and fungi to aid in full biodegradation.
The biodegradation process results in a soft, powdery substance that is harmless.
The biodegradable wax behaves differently from microplastics when manipulated.
Polymateria's technology aims to address the 100 million-tonne annual plastic problem.
The company has published papers for rigorous review, showcasing transparency and commitment to the field.
Epoch Biodesign is another company focusing on plastic waste, using enzymes to break it down.
The resulting chemicals from broken-down plastics can be used to manufacture new products.
Biology enables chemical reactions at low temperatures, which is beneficial for breaking down plastics.
The challenge is not only reducing plastic production but also finding solutions for existing plastic waste.
Even if plastic production stopped today, 10 billion tons of waste would still need to be managed.
Transcripts
we are a generation demanding change
whether we like it or not we're going to
have a lot of plastic for the
foreseeable
whilst it definitely has its negative
side effects it's also important to
recognize that it's a pretty amazing
material that has enabled so much a
major issue is that all of the plastic
that's ever been created still exists in
some form somewhere
one of the companies that's
revolutionizing plastic has been
creating products that will biodegrade
in certain conditions like in heat air
moisture or sunlight the aim is to
return the material back into nature but
as much as they possibly can anyway
polymateria's plastic alternative has
been around for a few years now it's
used for food packaging and some cups
but now the company's moving into a
slightly different type of material in
fact replacing what's used in some
products that you might not even know
was plastic in the first place think
face masks women's hygiene products or
wipes
what we're doing for wipes diapers tea
bags they all have their unique use case
if you want and also time frame within
which we would want biodegradation to
happen how does the deformation process
actually work there's three core things
the time control piece that's the
self-destructing part so that's that's
something that at point of manufacture
we can dial that up or dial that down
that's literally within a couple of
weeks is taking it from its plastic-like
state into its wax-like state but that's
not where it stops the third thing that
we're doing is we make that wax draw in
microbes and fungi and bacteria and that
is the way we're able to get those
materials fully Back To Nature in less
than a year
well they seem just the same as the
plastic version they feel the same they
look the same but once they start to
transform that's when things are very
different
and this is what it looks like it's very
very soft and apparently is completely
harmless looks like powder but sort of
disappears
I wanted to show you how a biotransforms
a
wax looked like and felt like a versus a
microplastic
and that's what you've touched a bit
before yes and we've put that in in this
Avail
um to show you how it behaves when you
hit it slightly
now it's completely melting and you can
see that the other bit of plastic is
completely the same as I would expect to
see it's just the same it just looks the
same and now if I take this one and I
tilt it
it flows like a candle what you will
have in nature is that you will have a
bottle bio transforming and becoming a
wax and that wax will then be fully
biodegraded like a banana peel or apple
core by Nature we've looked at other
companies before who are trying to solve
the plastic problem what is it about
your products that means they can
actually do the job we've published more
papers in this space than anyone else so
we put our data out there to be
rigorously reviewed by other experts in
this field but we're really trying to do
is create something that's capable of
moving the needle on 100 million tonne
per annum problem they are continuing to
develop the technology and whilst
there's no Silver Bullet there are
alternatives being worked on founded by
22 year old Jacob Nathan Epoch biodesign
is looking to change the way plastic is
broken down we design enzymes that break
down plastic waste and the resulting
chemicals that we make from that we can
manufacture into all sorts of new
products like paints Coatings
fertilizers cleaning products and
ultimately new plastic
the beauty of biology is that it enables
us to carry out chemical reactions at
very very low temperatures and so we can
use enzymes that enable these sorts of
chemical reactions to happen at very low
temperatures and pressures to break down
those Plastics into those building
blocks to make those new Plastics again
there are two sides to this equation one
is we make way too much of the stuff but
the other is we don't actually know what
to do with most of it once we're done
using it right even if we stopped making
Plastics tomorrow we still have 10
billion tons that are just sort of
sitting around taking up space and we
might want to do something with that
[Music]
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