Biodegradable plastic utensils

Students with the new biodegradable plastic cups on campus, which look and feel exactly like plastic. — LYFECYCLE

It is lunchtime at the Monash University Malaysia campus in Bandar Sunway, Selangor. The large canteen is teeming with students, most with their heads bent down in pursuit of the meals set out before them. Many have got plastic cups filled with the beverages of their choice.

When they are done with their meals, those plastic cups will no doubt be discarded – as is the case with most single-use plastic items. But unlike most plastic cups, these cups will not contribute to the mountain of plastic waste in the world. In fact, the university now serves as the launch pad and pilot project for a country-first plastic technology that is capable of biodegrading.

Lyfecycle is a new, innovative solution from British outfit Polymateria to tackle the global plastic pollution pandemic. At a global level, up to 32% of plastic waste ends up in nature. Single-waste plastic – used predominantly for delivery and takeaway – is a major contributor to this, as is the plastic materials used to wrap everything from vegetables and breads in supermarkets.

To combat this, the company devised an innovative solution that is applied to plastic materials and magically turns them into biodegradable entities.

Getting students to understand more about sustainability and sustainable materials can help in the future.

The straws, tableware and utensils being adopted at Monash University essentially self-destruct on land within two years leaving no microplastics or toxins behind. What is left is an earth-friendly wax that is absorbed into natural surrounds.

How do they do this?

There are things that biodegrade and things that don’t. Our general understanding is that most things that come from nature do biodegrade. And apple for example is biodegradable. Why?

Because an apple can be consumed by bacteria, microbes and funghi. Plastic – on the other hand – cannot.

The reason an apple can biodegrade and plastic cannot is because of molecular weight and an ability to attract or repel water. An apple has a low molecular weight and it is hydrophilic, which means it attracts water and can essentially biodegrade. Plastic meanwhile is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water.

Lyfecycle’s technology basically converts plastic into a very low molecular weight compound that is hydrophilic. This innovation – when applied to any plastic material – from forks and spoons to plates, cups and even plastic bags – then biodegrades into co2, water and biomass when left in natural surroundings.

The plastic utensils that apply the technology will last about two years before biodegrading into an earth-friendly wax (pictured here).

Mapet Diaz, Lyfecycle spokesperson said, “Collaborating with Monash University Malaysia exemplifies the power of innovation in education. By integrating our self-destructing plastic technology into campus life, we’re not just changing straws and utensils – we’re transforming mindsets.”