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Berkeley researchers develop new compostable plastic
Shane McGlaun - Apr 22, 2021, 5:56am CDT
There’s a lot of effort put into recycling plastics, glass, and other materials all around the US. Despite efforts towards recycling, less than nine percent of plastic currently gets recycled in the country, with most ending up in landfills or polluting the environment. Researchers believe that biodegradable plastic bags and containers could help ease pollution, but they can contaminate recyclable plastics if not correctly sorted.
Researchers note that most biodegradable plastics also take months to break down, and when they do break down, they form microplastics. Microplastics are particularly damaging because they can end up in the oceans and inside the bodies of animals and humans alike. Researchers at the Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley have designed an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that could diminish microplastic