Beth, I also live in the country and I also see plastic litter on the roadside. In fact, I carry a trash bag, pick it up and bring it back to recycle. I can't understand littering, either: I used to go backpacking and the rule I learned is make it look like you were never there. At least if plastic trash is biodegradable it won't take an extremely long time for the plastic to break down and become harmless constituents of the ecosystem.
A green plastic films manufacturer stopped by the PackExpo booth of my company about four years ago, with some sample preformed bags. They wanted to test their bags on our equipment. We were happy to run the test right there.
The bags were incredibly stiff and "hard" compared to regular LDPE packaging material. This material sounded like cellophane when handling it (lots of LOUD crackling crunching noise). The material was also very, very fragile. It had no stretch, no give. Stress it just a bit, and it rapidly tore.
It was green (made from corn), and would degrade readily, but it wasn't very usable for packaging. There's still a lot of work to be done in the field to make a usable green material for packaging.
Beth, that can be dissiapointing (littering, I mean). I learned not to leave a trace at an early age.
I am fascinated by the range of material solutions to this problem. Of course, the other problem being addressed is the feedstock. Reducing out dependence on oil is another useful result.
Cool slide show, Ann. I particularly liked seeing the BASF materials being used in food packaging applications. All you have to do is take a walk (I live out in the country and it's still a problem) and it's an eye opener to see the cups, bottles, and fast food trash littering the sides of the road. Given that it's harder to change people's behavior (although I can't understand littering, but that's a totally separate issue), it's comforting to know progress is being made on creating products that will be a bit easier on the environment.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
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