California Sets Out to Ban the Use of the Word Biodegradable
Under the current legislation there is a bill SB 1454 that is proposing to ban the use of the word “BIODEGRADABLE” for ALL plastic products. Sounds absolutely crazy, why would any legislator agree to support this? Well, the bill is backed by the PLA industry, most specifically BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) and Natureworks. They have proposed the legislation to prevent consumers from being able to choose other environmental solutions that make better sense. The legislation has a very compelling and sexy intent behind it which is to prevent green-washing and promote consumer awareness but what it really does is helps the PLA industry corner the market by preventing competing technologies and environmental solutions which the facts show are better than PLA.
PLA is ONLY a industrial compostable material and if used for applications such as bottles, toys, misc packaging, etc have no chance of EVER making it into a disposal environment that is needed in order to mechanically break down the plastic. When these products make it into the customary disposal methods of recycling or landfills they will wreak havoc on recycling and last forever in landfills.
Our mission is to address and help solve the plastic pollution issue in the world, this legislation will do nothing to move us closer to that goal. It will hinder innovation and prevent consumers from knowing what is in the packaging material of the products they are purchasing. We believe a better approach would be to encourage innovation, stop green-washing by requiring any claims to be backed up by scientific 3rd party testing data using internationally recognized standards board’s testing and require brands to use definitions based on the tests performed. We believe consumers will understand what it means when companies claim biodegradable, compostable or degradable when using these terms.
On July 26 we joined a group of like minded companies and people to create the Environmental Plastic Coalition to work towards stopping this kind of legislation. We need your help to let the California legislators know that big business our voices do matter. We are creators of own reality, making choices that support our reality not ones that disarm it.
Please…. Send an email no later than FRIDAY – August 5th to: EPC@ensobottles.com with the following: (all messages will be provided to the coalition lobbyist)
The Assembly Members need to hear from consumers on the following:
- That you recognize the issue of plastic pollution and that plastic which are biodegradable will help solve the problem we now face.
- Your thoughts about a system that prevents companies from promoting true green initiatives, especially when science backs up any claims.
- How you feel about a bill that would ban and fine companies that are paving the way for a more ‘plastic less’ society.
- Any other thoughts about the issue.
Please end with your name, the city you live in and your phone number.
We thank you for taking the time to write, solving the plastic pollution issue is a very important issue and one in which we are all involved with regardless of whether we like it or not. We need to work together in order to solve the situation that was created from the past decades. Doing your part along with people just like you we can and will make a difference and provide a better, cleaner world for the future.
Sincerely,
Danny Clark
President
ENSO Bottles
Are we smarter than nature?
It seems to be human nature to overcome and conquer; whether it be our neighboring countries, animals, plants, or biodegradable plastics – we seem to have instilled a belief that we as humans with our developed brains can and should have direct control over everything. From the beginning of time this desire has caused a never ending battle with nature; we manipulate it through genetic modification, we attempt to control it with toxic fertilizers, heavy machinery and pesticides. And throughout this battle we continuously marvel at our own genius – never mind the damage, pollution and unbalance we bring with it.
RUBBISH! The Archaeology of Garbage, Book Review
The book titled Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage by William Rathje and Cullen Murphy was a very interesting read. Created in 1973, the archaeology of garbage was a program primarily created as an exercise in archeology for students at the University of Arizona Tucson. The most fascinating aspect of the book is the discoveries of what our garbage tells about us as a society. It was interesting the amount of detailed behavior that can be discovered by going through trash. For example, in times of product scarcity our garbage shows that we waste more of the scarce product. Another major fact Dr. Rathje’s team discovered is that our landfills are not filling up from disposable diapers which is taking up about 1% of a landfills mass.
There have been some in the PLA (corn plastics) industry who use quotes from Dr. Rathje’s book to support an argument that composting biodegradable plastics is better for the environment than landfilling them. Their argument takes some of the data out on context by looking at the hundred year old “poor” environmental designs of landfills. The printing of “RUBBISH!” was in 1991 with most data provided in the book ending in 1988. Most of the data in the book is over 20 years old. As with many things from our past we eventually discover better and more environmentally sound solutions. Yes, it is absolutely true that traditional dry-tomb landfilling is not the best solution for dealing with our garbage. As a society we have made significant improvements to the methods we use for disposing of garbage. Since the writing of the book we have implemented hundreds of recycling programs as well as the EPA requiring methane from the anaerobic biodegradation process happening in landfills to be captured and burned or used to create clean energy. The EPA in the last 5 years has also changed laws with recirculating leachate through a landfill so to accelerate biodegradation by up to 10x.
Floating Plastic
Did you know that Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic does not float? PET is used to make the bottles you use everyday for; soda, water, juice, etc., and beverage containers are just the tip of the iceberg. Almost everything we drink from is made from PET plastic, and it doesn’t float.
What does this mean?
If you Google “Pacific Ocean Gyre” and look at some of the documentary from various informational programs, you will see the staggering issue we have created in our oceans. The really bad news is that the stuff they are reporting on is a different kind of plastic that is used for the lids and caps of these beverage drinks, as well as more industrial applications, and is the stuff that floats. So basically we are aware of the problem on the surface literally.
Greenpeace reports that 70% of our plastic that ends up in the ocean is found at the bottom of our ocean. We have no idea what the effect will be on our deep ocean ecosystem. We know that when fish and other marine life mistake the plastic for food, they are being injured and dying as a direct result of plastic pollution. Plastic has become an integral part of our lives and is probably going to stay around. We need to develop plastics that are more earth friendly, that won’t harm our oceans or future generations.
ENSO bottles provide such a solution in that they are truly biodegradable through microbial digestion. If ENSO bottles end up in the ocean, landfills or litter, they will become food for microbes found iand biodegrade into biogases and humus. Our goal is to have plastic that doesn’t become part of our food chain. If all plastics were biodegradable then plastics that end up in oceans or any other microbial environment would biodegrade by microbial activity.
We all need to do more if we want to make a difference. We need to change the way we humans look at our environment, we need to recycle more, and purchase responsibly. There is a growing interest in becoming better stewards of our planet. I believe we will come together to help, not hurt our environment. It’s for all of our future well being, besides, who wants to order a plastic sandwich instead of a fish sandwich?
By Del Andrus
Biodegradable Plastic are You Confused?
Biodegradable Plastics, what does it mean and why is there so much confusion about something that sounds so simple to define? The ASTM defines biodegradable plastics as “a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally-occurring micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae”. Sounds simple enough, so why all the confusion? The confusion really comes from two aspects; 1) confusion between using the term degradable vs. biodegradable and 2) the loose use of the word biodegradable.
Plastic Ocean Soup
Let’s talk about something near and dear to our hearts…the ocean gyres. Just in case you haven’t heard of a gyre let me explain. A gyre is a swirling ocean vortex caused by winds and ocean currents, causing things that float to accumulate in these vortex areas. The North pacific gyre is about the size of Texas.
One Step to Success
The other night I was helping my daughter with her math homework. She was frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of problems and the difficulty level. After several hours of this, she stopped cold in her tracks. “I am not going to do this anymore, this is too hard, there are way too many problems and I don’t even know how to solve them! I might as well just quit.”
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