Have you ever bought bioplastics before? Don't forget to check out the rest of my "Where does our waste go" series here: th-cam.com/video/XYuHEbT2mQk/w-d-xo.html
I think I just became your 1000th subscriber! 🎉🎉🎉 Thanks for the great info! Love seeing creators who put real research in their content and excited to see more from you.
OMG ANNA THANK YOU!!!!!!!! That means the world to me!! Thank you for the kind words too and thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my content :)
So excited for you as your subscriber numbers seem to be quickly increasing at the moment and you're soooo close to 1,000! You truly deserve more subscribers and more more views!! :)
Aww you're so sweet, Eva!! If you feel so inclined, sharing my content would be helpful (and of course make my entire day!!). Thank you so much for supporting my content :)
Great video, super important topic!! It's definitely important to critically review options labelled "sustainable." Totally agree with your stance!! And CONGRATS ON REACHING1K!!!! I'm so excited to continue watching the growth of your channel!💖
This is the most comprehensive video I've seen yet on bioplastics I love it! We definitely need to get better about not using virgin materials for bioplastics too. I didn't know that it was microorganisms synthesizing the bioplastics that is so COOL! Each day I'm more and more convinced microorganisms are the future of innovation 😅
Oh wow, thank you so much!!! I really wanted to be sure I had all the facts laid out!! I wanted it to be a one-stop shop for all the bioplastic related questions ;) Right?! I learned SO much from the research! I hope we can move toward using plant byproducts instead of raw materials for this!
U helped to unblock my creativity as currently, I am working on a thesis project related to this subject, Thank u for vocalizing this issue! Best wishes! xoxo
I'm a bit late watching it but thanks so much for this video, I've been looking forward to it ever since you mentioned you'd be doing it. As someone who is sceptical of 'green' or 'eco' claims made by companies and producers as I know there's so much greenwashing around, I did get sucked into believing bioplastics were super sustainable, in part because they were being sold and promoted by stores and companies that I do regard as ethical and informed. It was a previous video of yours that alerted me to the fact that all might not be what it seems with bioplastics and over the subsequent weeks I've researched them and been very disappointed with what I discovered. I suffer with pretty severe OCD and without going into details, it results in my having to buy more single-use plastic than I would otherwise want to. (Bottled water, single use cups as 2 examples - the latter of which I will use quite a few times before disposing of them). I feel utterly horrible using so much single-use plastic and I am working hard at overcoming my need to, but in the meantime I opted for bioplastics as I believed that their environmental impact was small. While not a bioplastic, my biggest disappointment was discovering that the oxo-biodegradable plastic bags I use in my waste bin (sold by ethical stores with a claim of being good for the environment) are actually worse than regular plastic, because while they degrade faster, they still only degrade into microplastics which cause so much harm and the fact they degrade faster makes it more likely those smaller fragments will enter into rivers and the ocean. I was also disappointed to learn that the vast majority of compostable bioplastic is only compostable under *industrial* composting conditions and will never breakdown properly under the conditions found in home or community composting facilities. And with zero access to any sort of industrial composting, it means every single item of bioplastic I purchase will end up in landfill with all resulting damages you mentioned. So I'm pretty much confused as to what is best for me to do (other than to keep working on reducing my need for plastics - bio or otherwise - as much as possible, which I have been doing in my life more generally), but at least for now I think that there may still be some benefit in my using some bioplastic despite it's quite obvious flaws. I'm sorry for such a long comment. I am really grateful for your informative and nuanced video. It's wonderful that you are taking time to try and make these issues better known so that people have more information to be able to make better choices. Thank you.
No apologies necessary I love having the conversation! I think for people who need to use single-use, it has to come down to the end of life for the product: how is plastic recycling in your area? Does your area have commercial compost? Can you change some of these materials to cans or glass or cardboard instead? If not, try not to worry about it. I have minor OCD (I'm sure it's not even comparable) so I can only imagine the added stressors that puts on your life. It's hard to find balance. Even when I'm buying myself necessities like fruit and veggies and can't find it packageless, I still feel guilty, but I need this stuff to survive! It's tough, it really it, and I hope the more we all talk about it, educate others, and demand change from leadership that we will have better systems in place one day like more accessible commercial composting for bioplastics because they are truly amazing!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist My local area has a recycling system a little better than our UK national standard, but nowhere near as good as it could be. (Locally 45% of waste is recycled - though of course I know Britain also ships a considerable amount of recyclables abroad so I'm not sure how much of our recycling is actually recycled). We have paper, metal, most plastic, card etc all collected from our homes every 2 weeks. Our local government is also conducting a trial in a nearby town for kerbside collections for composting too which I hope is successful as it would be fantastic if we could simply put our compostable material in a bin, just as we do with our recycling and general waste, ready for collection from our homes to be commercially composted. Several of your videos have inspired me to opt for different materials while I work on not needing to use single-use items at all, and I'm trying to source some compostable cardboard options instead of plastic/bioplastic. I'm continuing to work at reducing plastic in all the other areas of life which are easier for me. Indeed thanks to one of your previous videos I'm going to be trying out the laundry strips when my current detergent runs out. I completely agree with you that the more these things are talked about and the more people make these changes in their own lives and demand change from leaderships - demands perhaps partly driven by encountering the obstacles that trying to live more sustainably can give rise to - the faster progress to improve the broader systems will occur. Again this is one of the reasons I'm thankful to you, and others like you, who take the time and effort to bring all these issues to wider attention and who serve as inspiration to keep making all those small changes that all add up. *For an international perspective and in case you find it helpful/interesting here is a link to a recent programme that was broadcast here in the UK about plastic waste and its reduction. www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ax51c
@@chrstopherblighton-sande2981 fingers crossed your local government works as hard as it can on the composting system as that sounds like a great win for everyone involved and returning plants to the earth is a HUGE win!! Thank you so much for watching my content, it means the world to me, and knowing it has had an impact made my day!! Thank you for continuing the conversation and bringing more issues to my attention :)
Hi I'm seventeen and would like of you could make videos of how kids or teens can help with the well-being of the environment... I love your content by the way and also love the effort you put into these videos❤️
I will definitely do that in the coming months, thanks for the suggestion and your support! In the meantime, you should check out Our Future is Mars by Charlotte who is a zero-waste high schooler and has tips for all ages: th-cam.com/channels/H3ScGqhYXVvC5fQJNE4uZA.html I also have a video talking about how to live low waste at school that might help you: th-cam.com/video/NyPzX09h7ZU/w-d-xo.html As well as my free ways to live low waste series: th-cam.com/video/JYnW_mxfCgU/w-d-xo.html which should have tips sprinkled in there for all ages! Hope this helps :)
Very thought-provoking video! Our landfill runs large machines to plow through the waste and turn everything up for air exposure every day. It also harvests methane to use for power in a variety of applications. Both good things, I think. I compost at home, but not on a large scale, and it's amazing how many trash or recycling items can go into the compost bin -- toilet paper rolls, for example. Who knew? Never thought about that one. Metal, plastic and glass containers must always be washed and labels removed for our recycling program, and most people aren't intersted in going to that kind of trouble. That's pretty sad. I need to know how to recognize bio-plastic when I see it. Is there a label or is it embossed, so we can know how to dispose of it? And are there certain brands that use only bio-plastic containers for their products?
Thank you! EVery single day? Do you have an article I can read, I've never heard of this. Regarless, most Americans use trash bags made of plastic that won't break down even with oxygen so these bioplastics and food waste won't break down anyway. I wish composting was more common! Unfortunately it's not a regulated term. You will want to look for terms like "biodegradable" or "compostable" and then have to look at what it's made of
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist Yep, tractors are plowing our trash every day. Cheaper than buying new land. I've never seen an article about our landfill operations, but because we're running out of space, lots of practices have been put into place for at least the last 10 years to extend our landfilll's life expectancy. Sooner or later, I imagine the county government will make recycling mandatory. Real estate is expensive, and we'd rather make the most of what we have than buy more in anticipation of completely running out of space.
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist Drive by the dump any day, and you'll see at least one tractor taking care of business. I cannot imagine having that for a job, but I suppose we can get used to just about anything, and city-county pay & benefits are pretty generous. When I was stationed in Italy in the 1970s, the dump was always on fire -- open fire -- and the air quality was atrocious. They never worried about running out of space, and I don't think they worried about local residents' health, either.
How about recycling bioplastic (which is made basically of corn) in the form of fertilizer? Or in biogas production? Awesome video, thank you for the explanations! 👍👍👍
That was a lot of information 🤯. My brain does not absorb all those big plastic words. Most of the other things I got. 🤗. I am going to go find a video about how to know if the plastic is biodegradable. That might be the only thing you didn’t cover, unless I missed it. Fun note… my hubby had a dream last night that I was helping a big truck back up and I was say, “I have trash to recycle!”😆 And I haven’t even told him most of the things I have recently learned. He can only absorb a little at a time. 🙂
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist so since I left my comment here l have watched biodegradable plastic videos. Like you said it not a perfect solution…at all. Then I looked up where to recycle biodegradable plastic and couldn’t find a place.😣. Then I watched a really cool video by Precious Plastic about how they made bowls with orange peels. Wow! I feel when I watch a lot of sad planet videos is important for me to watch the helpful ones too. Balance. 🤗💖
Have you ever bought bioplastics before? Don't forget to check out the rest of my "Where does our waste go" series here: th-cam.com/video/XYuHEbT2mQk/w-d-xo.html
I think I just became your 1000th subscriber! 🎉🎉🎉 Thanks for the great info! Love seeing creators who put real research in their content and excited to see more from you.
OMG ANNA THANK YOU!!!!!!!! That means the world to me!! Thank you for the kind words too and thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my content :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist 😊
Such an educational video... congrats on 1k subs!
Thank you so much, Charlotte!!!
So excited for you as your subscriber numbers seem to be quickly increasing at the moment and you're soooo close to 1,000! You truly deserve more subscribers and more more views!! :)
Aww you're so sweet, Eva!! If you feel so inclined, sharing my content would be helpful (and of course make my entire day!!). Thank you so much for supporting my content :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I already shared your channel in a Facebook group not long ago ;)
@@evaastoul8160 That seriously means the entire WORLD to me!! Thank you so so so much!!!
Great video, super important topic!! It's definitely important to critically review options labelled "sustainable." Totally agree with your stance!! And CONGRATS ON REACHING1K!!!! I'm so excited to continue watching the growth of your channel!💖
Thanks so much, Susie!! Bioplastics have irked me for a while now, even before I was living low waste!! THANK YOU SO MUCH :)
This is the most comprehensive video I've seen yet on bioplastics I love it! We definitely need to get better about not using virgin materials for bioplastics too. I didn't know that it was microorganisms synthesizing the bioplastics that is so COOL! Each day I'm more and more convinced microorganisms are the future of innovation 😅
Oh wow, thank you so much!!! I really wanted to be sure I had all the facts laid out!! I wanted it to be a one-stop shop for all the bioplastic related questions ;)
Right?! I learned SO much from the research! I hope we can move toward using plant byproducts instead of raw materials for this!
U helped to unblock my creativity as currently, I am working on a thesis project related to this subject, Thank u for vocalizing this issue! Best wishes!
xoxo
best of luck!! happy to help :)
What an awesome and comprehensive educational video ! I learned so much. Thank you thank you thank you !
AWw thanks Dexter!! I'm glad you found value in this and hope you enjoy my other content too :)
I'm a bit late watching it but thanks so much for this video, I've been looking forward to it ever since you mentioned you'd be doing it. As someone who is sceptical of 'green' or 'eco' claims made by companies and producers as I know there's so much greenwashing around, I did get sucked into believing bioplastics were super sustainable, in part because they were being sold and promoted by stores and companies that I do regard as ethical and informed. It was a previous video of yours that alerted me to the fact that all might not be what it seems with bioplastics and over the subsequent weeks I've researched them and been very disappointed with what I discovered.
I suffer with pretty severe OCD and without going into details, it results in my having to buy more single-use plastic than I would otherwise want to. (Bottled water, single use cups as 2 examples - the latter of which I will use quite a few times before disposing of them). I feel utterly horrible using so much single-use plastic and I am working hard at overcoming my need to, but in the meantime I opted for bioplastics as I believed that their environmental impact was small.
While not a bioplastic, my biggest disappointment was discovering that the oxo-biodegradable plastic bags I use in my waste bin (sold by ethical stores with a claim of being good for the environment) are actually worse than regular plastic, because while they degrade faster, they still only degrade into microplastics which cause so much harm and the fact they degrade faster makes it more likely those smaller fragments will enter into rivers and the ocean.
I was also disappointed to learn that the vast majority of compostable bioplastic is only compostable under *industrial* composting conditions and will never breakdown properly under the conditions found in home or community composting facilities. And with zero access to any sort of industrial composting, it means every single item of bioplastic I purchase will end up in landfill with all resulting damages you mentioned.
So I'm pretty much confused as to what is best for me to do (other than to keep working on reducing my need for plastics - bio or otherwise - as much as possible, which I have been doing in my life more generally), but at least for now I think that there may still be some benefit in my using some bioplastic despite it's quite obvious flaws.
I'm sorry for such a long comment. I am really grateful for your informative and nuanced video. It's wonderful that you are taking time to try and make these issues better known so that people have more information to be able to make better choices. Thank you.
No apologies necessary I love having the conversation! I think for people who need to use single-use, it has to come down to the end of life for the product: how is plastic recycling in your area? Does your area have commercial compost? Can you change some of these materials to cans or glass or cardboard instead?
If not, try not to worry about it. I have minor OCD (I'm sure it's not even comparable) so I can only imagine the added stressors that puts on your life. It's hard to find balance. Even when I'm buying myself necessities like fruit and veggies and can't find it packageless, I still feel guilty, but I need this stuff to survive!
It's tough, it really it, and I hope the more we all talk about it, educate others, and demand change from leadership that we will have better systems in place one day like more accessible commercial composting for bioplastics because they are truly amazing!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist My local area has a recycling system a little better than our UK national standard, but nowhere near as good as it could be. (Locally 45% of waste is recycled - though of course I know Britain also ships a considerable amount of recyclables abroad so I'm not sure how much of our recycling is actually recycled). We have paper, metal, most plastic, card etc all collected from our homes every 2 weeks.
Our local government is also conducting a trial in a nearby town for kerbside collections for composting too which I hope is successful as it would be fantastic if we could simply put our compostable material in a bin, just as we do with our recycling and general waste, ready for collection from our homes to be commercially composted.
Several of your videos have inspired me to opt for different materials while I work on not needing to use single-use items at all, and I'm trying to source some compostable cardboard options instead of plastic/bioplastic. I'm continuing to work at reducing plastic in all the other areas of life which are easier for me. Indeed thanks to one of your previous videos I'm going to be trying out the laundry strips when my current detergent runs out.
I completely agree with you that the more these things are talked about and the more people make these changes in their own lives and demand change from leaderships - demands perhaps partly driven by encountering the obstacles that trying to live more sustainably can give rise to - the faster progress to improve the broader systems will occur. Again this is one of the reasons I'm thankful to you, and others like you, who take the time and effort to bring all these issues to wider attention and who serve as inspiration to keep making all those small changes that all add up.
*For an international perspective and in case you find it helpful/interesting here is a link to a recent programme that was broadcast here in the UK about plastic waste and its reduction.
www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ax51c
@@chrstopherblighton-sande2981 fingers crossed your local government works as hard as it can on the composting system as that sounds like a great win for everyone involved and returning plants to the earth is a HUGE win!!
Thank you so much for watching my content, it means the world to me, and knowing it has had an impact made my day!! Thank you for continuing the conversation and bringing more issues to my attention :)
Hi I'm seventeen and would like of you could make videos of how kids or teens can help with the well-being of the environment...
I love your content by the way and also love the effort you put into these videos❤️
I will definitely do that in the coming months, thanks for the suggestion and your support! In the meantime, you should check out Our Future is Mars by Charlotte who is a zero-waste high schooler and has tips for all ages: th-cam.com/channels/H3ScGqhYXVvC5fQJNE4uZA.html
I also have a video talking about how to live low waste at school that might help you: th-cam.com/video/NyPzX09h7ZU/w-d-xo.html
As well as my free ways to live low waste series: th-cam.com/video/JYnW_mxfCgU/w-d-xo.html
which should have tips sprinkled in there for all ages! Hope this helps :)
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist thanks a bunch for this❤️
@@not_a_youtuber9597 happy to help! Hope you find value in that :)
In Brasil there is a type of bioplastic made of cassava leaves (waste parte of the plant)
I wish this was accessible tô everybody
how cool!!
I learnt so much from your video! ty very much for your hard work
Aww you're so sweet!! Thank you so much for your support :)
Very thought-provoking video! Our landfill runs large machines to plow through the waste and turn everything up for air exposure every day. It also harvests methane to use for power in a variety of applications. Both good things, I think. I compost at home, but not on a large scale, and it's amazing how many trash or recycling items can go into the compost bin -- toilet paper rolls, for example. Who knew? Never thought about that one. Metal, plastic and glass containers must always be washed and labels removed for our recycling program, and most people aren't intersted in going to that kind of trouble. That's pretty sad. I need to know how to recognize bio-plastic when I see it. Is there a label or is it embossed, so we can know how to dispose of it? And are there certain brands that use only bio-plastic containers for their products?
Thank you! EVery single day? Do you have an article I can read, I've never heard of this. Regarless, most Americans use trash bags made of plastic that won't break down even with oxygen so these bioplastics and food waste won't break down anyway. I wish composting was more common!
Unfortunately it's not a regulated term. You will want to look for terms like "biodegradable" or "compostable" and then have to look at what it's made of
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist Yep, tractors are plowing our trash every day. Cheaper than buying new land. I've never seen an article about our landfill operations, but because we're running out of space, lots of practices have been put into place for at least the last 10 years to extend our landfilll's life expectancy. Sooner or later, I imagine the county government will make recycling mandatory. Real estate is expensive, and we'd rather make the most of what we have than buy more in anticipation of completely running out of space.
@@kathryncooper4001 If you've never seen an article then how do you know this is common practice? Just curious.
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist Drive by the dump any day, and you'll see at least one tractor taking care of business. I cannot imagine having that for a job, but I suppose we can get used to just about anything, and city-county pay & benefits are pretty generous. When I was stationed in Italy in the 1970s, the dump was always on fire -- open fire -- and the air quality was atrocious. They never worried about running out of space, and I don't think they worried about local residents' health, either.
@@kathryncooper4001 I used to live near a dump. Never ever ever saw this. It doesn't seem like common practice.
This was super helpful. Get "sciency" anytime!
I'm so glad the more scientific videos can be helpful to some because others are SUPER critical of them!
How about recycling bioplastic (which is made basically of corn) in the form of fertilizer? Or in biogas production? Awesome video, thank you for the explanations! 👍👍👍
yes! aka compost! When bioplastics are 100% plants they are safe to compost and can then be used as fertilizer :)
That was a lot of information 🤯. My brain does not absorb all those big plastic words. Most of the other things I got. 🤗. I am going to go find a video about how to know if the plastic is biodegradable. That might be the only thing you didn’t cover, unless I missed it. Fun note… my hubby had a dream last night that I was helping a big truck back up and I was say, “I have trash to recycle!”😆 And I haven’t even told him most of the things I have recently learned. He can only absorb a little at a time. 🙂
haha that's great!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist so since I left my comment here l have watched biodegradable plastic videos. Like you said it not a perfect solution…at all. Then I looked up where to recycle biodegradable plastic and couldn’t find a place.😣. Then I watched a really cool video by Precious Plastic about how they made bowls with orange peels. Wow! I feel when I watch a lot of sad planet videos is important for me to watch the helpful ones too. Balance. 🤗💖
@@sandibroad4099 it has a long way to go that's for sure!
Bioplastics are a good idea that may need more work
That is a really good summary!