|
Many organizations (among them, GreenPeace and The Environmental
Research Foundation) have claimed that plastics and the consumer
acceptance of plastics is declining...mainly because businesses
and organizations just don't know what to do with the plastics after
use. In
fact, the Society of Plastics Industries' Larry Thomas has stated:
| "The
image of plastics among consumers is deteriorating at an alarmingly
fast pace. Opinion research experts tell us that it has plummeted
so far and so fast, in fact, that we are approaching a point
of no return. Public opinion polls during the 80's show that
an increasing percentage of the general public believes plastics
are harmful to health and environment. That percentage rose
sharply from 56% in 1988 to 72% in 1989. At this rate, we
will soon reach a point from which it will be impossible to
recover our credibility." |
| Larry
Thomas - the Society of Plastics Industries |
 Their
concerns come directly from how plastic products affect the environment.
It is estimated that over 20 million tons of plastic products were
placed in U.S. landfills in 1995 alone. By the year 2010, the amount
is expected to be 20% higher than the 1995 figures.
Until
ECM BioFilms MasterBatch Pellet technology, there has not been a
product created that will allow for the breakdown of plastic without
the use of light or some form of photosensitivity. Another alternative
method to degrade plastic is to produce a product with a starch
additive, which does not degrade the poly product.
|
It
is important to note that
less than 5.3% of that total
is being recycled. This
information is based on
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's
Report #EPA530-R-97-015
dated June, 1997. |
