Plastic is dead, long live bioplastic!

0,00 €

TopicEcology

AuthorPaul Lavallée

PublisherÉditions Écosociété

Today’s petroleum-based plastics have led us down a blind alley. Toxic and persistent in the environment, they are harmful both to human health and to wildlife in general. And recycling, which was supposed to give them eternal youth, simply doesn’t work: year after year, less than 10% of the plastic produced is recycled and reclaimed, the rest ending up in landfill sites and in nature… Plastic is nevertheless a material with undeniable qualities that modern industrial societies can hardly do without. So how do we transform it into a healthy product with a manageable lifespan? Fortunately, there is an advantageous substitute: bioplastics.

In this popular science book, biophysics doctor Paul Lavallée presents a comprehensive overview of the advantages of this material made from organic elements (plants, food residues, algae, etc.). Under the right conditions, bioplastics can be broken down into compost or biomethane by the action of bacteria, without prior sorting, thereby making up for the shortcomings of current recycling systems.

With a conversion plan to back it up, this essential book shows how bioplastics, even though they generally get a bad press, really do open up a much healthier future for the environment and for living things. But for plastic pollution to stop posing a risk to future generations, humanity will have to make a choice: Either petroplastics or bioplastics, but not both! Paul Lavallée gives us the keys to making an informed choice.