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by Nisha Kottearachchi, Wayamba University

Over the last fifty years plastics, pet`roleum-based nonbiodegradable polymers including polythene have revolutionized our lifestyle because of its advantage in use.

In Sri Lanka and in many of the other developing countries those packaging wastes are discarded into municipal waste streams. Unfortunately, these waste are not decomposed by natural processes and, therefore they do not biodegrade in landfill and generates many kinds of toxic gases after incineration to the environment.

In recent years many countries all over the world have recognized the importance of reducing the amounts of plastic wastes. Therefore many attempts have been emphasized by the researches in order to investigate suitable substitutes that do not harm the environment.

Naturally occurring biodegradable polymers, such as Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are attractive materials to reduce synthetic polymer wastes.

Carbohydrates, the most abundant of all biological molecules, is required by every cell as structural material, stored forms of energy and the transportable packets of energy. Cellulose and Starch, the complex form of carbohydrates, have become the interest carbohydrate material as the use of biodegradable polymers, because of low cost, availability as agricultural surplus raw material and thermoprocessability of it. KUGREEN is a product of such effort achieved by Kassartsaki University in Thailand.

They use cassava starch; the most abundant and cheapest form of biopolymer for them, to produce KU - GREEN, a biodegradable and disposable packaging material.

It is made by mixing cassava starch and plant fiber and it is used as disposable food packages, which suits even for the use of liquid food and drink.

As post-consumer usage it could be used as feeds for livestock in addition to the humus production by natural degradation.

The use of Hawari Nuga (Alstonia macrophylla) tree leaves for the production of biodegradable packaging material was presented by a Sri Lankan University student at the 58th SLAAS (Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science) annual session.

This kind of research should be sponsored and given priority by the government and funding agencies in order to create a friendly earth and have potential solution for polythene menace.

And also it may be sources of foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka if successful.

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