Posted on 03/30/2006 6:44:52 AM PST by S0122017
Plastic problems
Smooth, shiny plastic covers may make our mobiles look good - but they last for hundreds of years in landfill sites.
Producing plastics creates a lot of nasty waste and products that can be difficult to get rid of or recycle.
But Kerry Kirwan, an engineer at Warwick University, may have come up with an answer to our plastic problems.
Plant power
Kerry has been working with plastics manufacturer PVAXX Research to develop a new type of phone cover made from biodegradable plastics.
These covers are created from a mixture of plastics and minerals. They break down into natural materials, so they don't harm the environment when they're thrown away and don't create the waste that traditional plastics do.
Do it yourself
But it's no good if we all forget to compost our covers. Kerry has provided the incentive for this by designing a window in his biodegradable phone covers to hold a sunflower seed.
'Our idea was that incorporating a seed gives people a reason to separate the plastic parts, saving recyclers money, time and effort,' says Kerry. When you plant your phone cover the biodegrading plastic releases the sunflower seed from its casing and provides it with nutrients to help it grow.
Going, going, gone
Micro-organisms in the soil get to work on the plastics straight away. Within two weeks the seed has started to sprout and the plastic should all be gone within a month.
'The great thing about this plastic is that it doesn't biodegrade in a normal working environment - it has to have very special conditions to start the process,' explains Kerry. 'This means that you can use it in everyday life but the minute you pop it in the ground it begins to break down
Stop the rot
Kerry's scientific team aren't the only people to develop biodegradable plastics - mobile manufacturers are tackling the problem too. NEC's scientists have developed the world's first mobile for sale with a biodegradable cover.
This cover has been created out of plant materials from corn and kenaf, a relative of the hibiscus plant. Scientists make the corn into bio-plastics and add kenaf fibres to make the plastic stronger, tougher and more heat resistant. This means the cover won't start to break down during its everyday use, only when it's buried.
Is the future bright?
NEC's new phone is only available in Japan and costs more to buy than the non-biodegradable version. Nokia are also developing biodegradable plastic for their mobiles that people can unclip and compost when they break - but these phones aren't on the market yet.
Scientists hope to use plant-based plastics more often in future products. They could replace more wasteful and less environmentally friendly oil-based plastics in electronic equipment, cars and even kitchen utensils.
Ping biodegradable phonecover
Biodegradable phonecover with plantseed.
Biodegradable plastic phone covers cited as trigger that caused Bird Flu to mutate into deadliest epidemic in history. 300 million dead.
aw come on, let your green heart speak :P
I for one can't wait for the Dutch version with marijuana seed.
We have enough landfill space for the next 500 years!
In CO alone.
For the WHOLE country.
There may be a lot of reason to do this kind of stuff, but running out of space isn't one of them.
The volume of a cell phone is roughly equivalent to the daily New York Times. I propose everyone just stop reading the times.
Voila, problem (not that landfill volume was ever a REAL problem) solved
This is a situation where we can have our cake and eat it too. Colorado Springs has a site they closed about 15 years ago. It's now being regraded and looks like it will be used for something else that's useful as the city grows around the site. Further east, the new trash site is refilling huge gullies and ravines, and in the coming decades that new found land will provide huge usable open expanses in an area that once was useless. Parks, shopping centers, Industrial Center, who knows, but certainly much more people friendly than it is now.
2) Landfill is not a happy sight
The landfill is at least 95% hidden from public view. I realize not all landfills can be so hidden, and that's' why I recommended Colorado. We have more than enough room on the eastern plains alone. After that WY is good for the following 500 years or more, then we could move on to states with even greater room. In any event Waste Management is careful about the trash, and if you don't know where to look you'll never notice it. More importantly, what is your alternative?
3) Landfill builds up quicker then it breaksdown.
Colorado Springs found that out after spending millions trying to extract methane gas from the old trash site I referenced above. It was a complete failure. Generally trash doesn't compost in the newer sites. They are simply too sealed for that to happen. Trash we throw away today is simply being stored for future generations to uncover if they want to. Be sure to shred important papers, because they probably will remain readable for years to come, even in a landfill
4) The more naturally stuff integrates back into nature the less abrupt any chances in the ecosystem occur. Unlike for instance burning it 'en mass' and killing astmasuffers nationwide
I can't understand what you are saying. Give it another try.
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