Published by Australian Academy of Science
Useful sites | Making packaging greener – biodegradable plastics

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

• Plant transformation (Radio Australia, 12 December 2005)
  Describes Australian research into the use of plants for manufacturing plastics.
  http://www.abc.net.au/ra/innovations/stories/s1529049.htm

• The indestructables (Features, 27 January 2005)
  Describes two types of plastic bags, how they can be recycled, biodegradable bags and some alternatives to plastic bags.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/indestructibles/

• Composting plastic (The Lab, 5 February 2002) Discusses the Australian technology that created a biodegradable plastic from cornstarch.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_472701.htm

• No bag thanks (The Lab) Describes the problems caused by plastic bags and ways in which to ease the problem.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/bags/default.htm

Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources

• Biodegradable plastics – developments and environmental impacts
  The executive summary of an extensive report on the development and environmental impact of degradable plastics. The full report is also available.
  http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/degradables/biodegradable/exec-summary.html

• Degradable plastics in Australia
  A quarterly newsletter that reports on developments in the area of degradable plastics. http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/degradables/newsletter/index.html

Plantic Technologies receives award for biodegradable plastic (A to Z of Materials, Australia)

Reports that the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Industry 2004 was awarded to an Australian company for its biodegradable plastic.
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=1816

Biopolymers from crops: their potential to improve the environment (Proceedings of the 11th Australian Agronomy Conference, 2003)

Discusses the possibilities of developing a biopolymer industry in Australia.
http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2003/c/11/michael.htm

Non-food crops: turning the corner? (e-zine, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK)

Discusses the potential of plant-derived chemical products and why so many basic chemicals are still primarily derived from fossil fuels.
http://www.chemsoc.org/chembytes/ezine/2000/evans_feb00.htm

Bacterial plastics (Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, USA)

A more technical look at the biodegradable plastics that are synthesised by bacteria.
http://www.bact.wisc.edu:81/ScienceEd/discuss/msgReader$10

How green are green plastics? (Scientific American, August 2000)

Looks at how plastics manufacturing affects the environment.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0000D61F-E193-1C73-9B81809EC588EF21&catID=2