Can tapioca starch ‘bioplastics’ be an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags?

Plastic and other waste washed up on Kuta beach in Bali. Photo: AFP

Are bags made from “bioplastics” the solution to the deluge of litter in Indonesia that has blighted its lands and seas?

(Bioplastics are made from ecofriendly materials like corn starch and vegetable fats and oil that decompose naturally as opposed to conventional plastic, which includes petroleum and natural gas in its makeup and can take years to break down.)