What looks like plastic but is not?
Denise Landis is the founder & CEO of The Cook's Cook.
Part of our Best Guides for Beginning Cooks. Click to see more answers to your questions.
This question sounds like the beginning of a riddle, but the answer is serious in light of today’s urgent concerns about plastics in our environment. Because most plastics do not biodegrade easily, eco-friendly plastic-like alternatives are increasingly sought for storage bags, disposable cups, cutlery, cling films, and packing materials.
Materials that look like plastic but are compostable include cellulose-based materials, derived from plant fibers. These can have a plastic-like appearance and texture, are biodegradable, and can be used for cling-wraps, coatings, and packing materials.
Other biodegradable materials that can be made to look like plastic are algae or starch-based, or made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), biodegradable polymers produced by bacteria.
While these materials offer eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics, it’s important to consider their production methods, disposal, and the time it takes for them to break down to understand their overall environmental impact. Single-use or “disposable” products may not, when carefully considered, be better for the environment than products designed for repeated use over many years. When possible, choose biodegradable products that are also reusable and recyclable.
