A team of biomaterial engineers, environmental resource specialists and industrial design researchers affiliated with a host of institutions across Japan has developed a biodegradable material that is clear and can hold boiling water—and it degrades in less than a year after settling on the ocean floor. Their work is published in the journal Science Advances.
  • Deceptichum@quokk.auEnglish
    52·
    3 days ago

    We can already replace those single use plastics with paper.

    This isn’t a replacement for a bottle of water on a shelf, those will still need to be plastic as they need to hold up for more than a few hours.

    • SirSamuel@lemmy.world
      5·
      3 days ago

      I think you missed the second part of my response.

      Lemme spell it out more explicitly. The majority of voting humans will not accept a world without single use plastics. This is because they are dumb as shit. If an alternative is presented that is functionally the same the masses will more readily accept a ban on petroleum based single use non-biodegradable plastics (paper replacements are not functionally the same. see paper straws). Now I don’t want to get bogged down in pedantry, so let’s keep this broad.

      Packaging materials, coffee cup lids, shrink wrap, the list goes on. The world is addicted to cheap throwaway plastics and they will need to be weaned off or the petroleum lobby will just rile up the majority and regulation will fail. This is what I’m saying. Will the alternative have it’s own problems? Absolutely. The hydrophobic coatings they’ll put on food containers will give people cancer. Your scenario at the top is very probable, or something like it. But good luck convincing them to jump straight to sustainability.

      Hell, I’m typing this on a device made of materials mined by children and assembled by political prisoners. And when it breaks, I’ll go buy another, because I need it to work. If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go drink until I’m not thinking about this anymore