Biodegradable bags are bags that are capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.
There are two very different types of biodegradable plastic. they are as follows:
Oxo-biodegradable plastic – made from polymers such as PE (polyethylene) PP (polypropylene) and PS (polystyrene) containing extra ingredients (NOT heavy metals) and tested according to ASTM D6954 or BS8472 or AFNOR Accord T51-808 to degrade and biodegrade in the open environment and
Vegetable based plastics (also loosely knows as bio-plastics “bioplastics” or “compostable plastics”) These are tested in accordance with ASTM D6400 or EN13432 to biodegrade in the special conditions found only in industrial composting or biogas facilities.
Ecovative is a company based near New York City that has developed a biodegradable plastic called Mushroom Materials. It is made from agricultural byproducts and mushroom mycelium, which is the vegetative part of a mushroom fungus and a natural glue. The material binds with crop waste like seed husks and corn stalks to form a “bioplastic” called Mushroom Material. The new “bioplastic” is fully biodegradable, which means is doesn’t take 1000 years to breakdown if it winds up in a landfill the way normal plastics do.
According to the company website, “Ecovative provides sustainable alternatives to plastics and plastic foams for packaging, building materials and other applications by using mushroom technology.” It is located in Green Island, New York. which seem appropriate, considering what they do.
Ecovative now offers a “Grow It Yourself” kit. Just add water and wait a few days for the dried mixture to regenerate. Then place it into molds and allowed it to grow. Designer Danielle Trofe has already “grown” a table lamp called the Mush-lume and a plant pot called the Mush-bloom.
“The ability to have a hands-on experience with the Mushroom Material, to grow it, to learn its properties and to experiment with its living characteristics, has not only created a much more dynamic prototyping experience, but a more inventive and in tune approach to material based product design,” says Trofe.
California surfboard manufacturer Surf Organic has used Mushroom Materials to make a bio-degradable surfboard as an alternative to its fiberglass and styrofoam models.
http://www.ecovativedesign.com/