Ireland is uniquely positioned to build a strong bioeconomy by leveraging the scale of its agricultural, brewing, and timber industries to replace petrochemical plastics with organic bioplastics, according to an analysis reported by rte.ie. This production could become a multi-billion-euro industry that helps address the country’s high rates of plastic waste.
Why Does Ireland Need a New Approach to Plastic Waste?
Ireland is one of the highest producers of plastic waste in the EU, with every person producing 64 kg annually, which is nearly double the EU average. The country currently recycles only 30% of this plastic waste. While recycling and developments like the deposit return scheme help, plastic can only be recycled about half a dozen times before degrading beyond practical re-use, and it never truly disappears.
Instead, it breaks down into microplastics that can enter the bloodstream through drinking water, carrying chemicals linked to a range of cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Harmful emissions stem from the production process of petrochemical-based plastics, and recycling is currently more expensive than creating virgin plastic.
How Can Organic Waste Be Converted Into Bioplastics?
Scientists have devised a process to make versatile and sustainable plastics from organic waste rather than petrochemicals. Bioplastics are created by fermenting the sugars from organic waste to produce lactic acid, which serves as a building block for a new, biodegradable type of plastic.
Any material containing starch and sugars can be converted, including grass and clippings, agricultural waste, timber industry waste, and byproducts from brewing and distilling. These byproducts are in abundant supply in Ireland, where bioplastics could be produced to make single-use items that go into brown bins to be turned into compost, or added to traditional plastics at the recycling stage to extend their life-cycle.
What Research Is Currently Underway in Ireland?
Research projects are actively working to improve bioplastic production for efficient, cost-effective implementation at scale. Dublin City University’s Grain-4-Lab and University College Dublin’s BiOrbic are among the groups researching these production improvements and coordinating climate action initiatives. Despite these developments, bioplastics are likely to remain more expensive than their traditional counterparts.
