White pollution caused by plastic bags has become a global environmental problem. In recent years, many countries have begun to implement the "plastic restriction order" and "plastic prohibition order". What's the alternative to plastic bags? Recently, a Chilean company offered a solution. Plastic bags can also be put in a water glass to dissolve, doesn't it sound more magical?
Chile: a new type of 'plastic bag' can be dissolved in water and drunk
From the appearance, there is no difference between the new plastic bag and the ordinary plastic bag. However, mixing the new plastic bags in a pot of normal temperature water will make a difference.
The plastic bag dissolved in water and became a milky white liquid. Not only that, the dissolved water can also be drunk.
The researchers said the plastic bag is harmless to human body. The main raw material polyvinyl alcohol is water-soluble biodegradable material, which comes from calcium carbonate or natural gas, and other auxiliary materials are also food grade materials.
An ordinary plastic bag takes hundreds of years to degrade, while a polyvinyl alcohol water-soluble bag only takes five minutes. But some people will worry about whether they can't carry this kind of water-soluble plastic bag in rainy days?
The researchers say they will design products with different water-soluble temperatures, from 25 to 75 degrees Celsius at room temperature to 90 degrees Celsius. In countries with frequent rain, plastic bags that dissolve at high temperature can be used.
Researchers say that the cost of water-soluble plastic bags is three or four times that of ordinary plastic bags. The company plans to start mass production at the end of this year. At that time, they expect that the price of water-soluble plastic bags can be similar to that of ordinary plastic bags, and truly enter people's lives.
Control plastic waste and promote edible substitutes in many countries
According to statistics, as of July last year, the global cumulative production of plastic exceeded 9.1 billion tons. Plastic waste pollution is a problem that needs to be solved. In addition to water-soluble plastic bags launched in Chile, other countries have also launched some edible plastic substitutes.
A British company has developed an edible water ball, which is an alternative to plastic bottles. The water ball has a double-layer membrane, the main composition of which is a natural seaweed extract, harmless to human body. When drinking, just tear off the first layer of the water ball, and the water, drink or wine in the second layer can be directly put into the mouth for drinking. The first layer is edible. Even if it is not willing to eat, it can decompose naturally within 4 to 6 weeks without polluting the environment.
In addition to plastic bottles, plastic spoons also have edible alternatives. An Indian company has launched a completely non-toxic edible spoon. The spoon is made of sorghum flour, rice flour and wheat flour without preservatives.
The edible alternative to the plastic cup is this' seaweed Cup 'from Indonesia. The seaweed cup is made of natural materials, free of preservatives and gelatin. Maybe many people are worried about the taste of 'seaweed Cup', but many people who have eaten it say that it tastes good, and there are three flavors to choose from.
In addition to replacing plastic cups, 'seaweed cups' can also replace ice cream cones. A local ice cream shop has already started to use the seaweed cup to hold ice cream.