Researchers invent 100% biodegradable 'barley plastic'

Re:Researchers invent 100% biodegradable 'barley plastic' by dtx1 on Tuesday June 25, 2024 @05:57AM (#40786501)

> No one ever talks about paper bags. Growing up that's all we ever used and it was easily biodegradable. But stores went with the cheaper solution.

Plastic Bags were banned here in Germany (Maybe EU?) so now you can get either Paper Bags or Plastic Bags made from recycled plastic water bottles. To be quite honest: The paper bags suck because they are fragile and the recycled bags are expensive.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Researchers invent 100% biodegradable 'barley plastic' by Abroszka on Tuesday June 25, 2024 @07:16AM (#40787026)

I think it's working as intended. It incentivises buying a good quality plastics or cloth bag and reuse.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Researchers invent 100% biodegradable 'barley plastic' by yojo on Tuesday June 25, 2024 @10:50AM (#40789362)

Cloth bags are problematic. The Danish EPA put the break-even on cotton bags at 7,100 re-uses (or 20,000 for organic)[1].

Most people won’t shop enough in their life to pay back that organic cotton bag - reusing twice a week, it will take you 200 years before you break even.

1: https://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-... - see section 6.3 for reuse numbers

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Researchers invent 100% biodegradable 'barley plastic' by ajb on Tuesday June 25, 2024 @01:10PM (#40790986)

It depends on the paper. Some takeaways round here seem to come in very robust paper bags, although takeaway is perhaps not as challenging as a full bag of groceries.

[ Parent | on HN ]