Making packaging greener – biodegradable plastics
Further Reading
Issue 134, 2007 page 7
Fast-degrading nappies lighten the load on landfill
Reports on the development of a fully biodegradable disposable nappy.
No. 130, 2006, page 5
Ozmotech's plastic-to-fuel solution in demand
Describes the development of Australian technology to recycle plastic waste into commercial grade diesel fuel.
No. 128, 2005/2006, page 6
A sweet European deal for Plantic’s bioplastic
An update on the commercialisation of biodegradable plastic.
No. 108, 2001, pages 4-5
Green plastic (by Wendy Pyper)
Describes biodegradable plastic products being developed in Australia.
June 2009, pages 30-31
Brave new materials in a brave new world (by Justin Blows and Byron Bowman)
Examines new ‘green’ materials including biodegradable plastics.
9 May 2007, pages 28-29
Recycled plastic to get clean bill of health (by Michael Reilly)
Looks at the benefits of the generation of recycling plants.
7 April 2007, pages 37-41
Packaging - unwrapped (by Jessica Marshall)
Discusses what can be done about the tide of apparently pointless packaging.
8 October 2005, page 6
Cigarette butts go green
Describes compostable cigarette filters.
8 January 2005, page 11
Seabirds ingest bellyfuls of plastic pollution(by Rob Edwards Texel)
Reports on a study looking at plastics found in the stomachs of seabirds.
11 September 2004, page 30
Battle of the bag(by Caroline Williams)
Looks at consumer attitudes to plastic bags.
6 May 2004
Rising tide of micro-plastics plaguing the seas (by Maggie McKee)
Reports on a study looking at the amount of microscopic plastic fragments in the ocean.
23 November 2002
Food scraps make perfect plastic (by Ian Sample)
Discusses a biological reactor that converts food waste into a biodegradable plastic.
Inside Science (No. 50), 19 October 1991
Degradable plastics (by John Emsley)
Covers biodegradation and photodegradation of plastics.
Issue 5, Summer 2007, pages 66-69
Plastics, naturally (by David Bradley)
Reports on research to develop environmentally friendly ways to produce and dispose of plastics.
16 September 2008
Turning bacteria into plastic factories (by David Biello)
Describes the production of polymers from genetically engineered microbes that feed on sugars.
27 February 2006
Bacteria turn styrofoam into biodegradable plastic (by David Biello)
Reports on the use of bacteria to turn styrofoam into PHA, a biodegradable plastic.
August 2000, pages 24-29
How green are green plastics? (by Tillman U. Gerngross and Steven C. Slater)
Covers the environmental pluses and minuses
of making plastics using green plants.
Issue 10, February 2007
Eco-packaging challenge (by Gio Braidotti)
Looks at efforts to assist the packaging industry to assess the biodegradability of products.
March 2007
“Green” nappy is biodegradable
Reports on the invention of the world’s first completely biodegradable nappy by a west Australian researcher.
Page updated January 2010.