Seaworthy Sunday: Avocado Pits to Recyclable Plastic

Most of the world (we hope) has heard about plastic pollution. While there are alternatives, they are not readily available and made be costly to the average person.

The good news, that another Mexican Company is converting Avocado Pits into biodegradable plastic.  Biofase is manufacturing biodegradable cutlery and straws made out avocado seeds.

Biofase uses 15,000 tons of seeds a day for its bioplastics. The process allows for the products to biodegrade after 240 days of being exposed to the elements or buried in the ground.

Based in Morelia, the facility’s monthly yield of biodegradable plastic products is 130 tons, 40% of which are straws. Eighty per cent of the plant’s production is exported to the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia and Perú.

There is not a day that goes by that you do not see either a straw or a plastic utensil in the street, the beach, the parks. They are everywhere and continually add to plastic pollution.

Just Got To Eco You

• 400 Billion (estimate) plastic utensils are made every year.
• 500 Million Straws are used every year just in the USA.
• They are used only 1x
• They cannot be recycled.
• Majority of plastic utensils are made of polystyrene (#6 plastic), most commonly known in its expanded form as Styrofoam.
• Plastic forks and knives can jam machinery in the MRF and are often considered a top source of contamination.

Can you imagine what our streets would look like if we knew all those plastic utensils and straws would be gone in a few months?