What is so great about PLA? (The plastic made from corn)

Posted on December 20, 2011 by DrRossH in BioPlastics

As posted on a Linked-In discussion group recently.

PLA products are made from food. They are compostable ONLY in an industrial composting facility and that is now questionable and certainly NOT IN A HOME COMPOSTER. They are physically weak, cannot be recycled with any other plastics, cause problems in professional composting facilities and have to be “fished out” manually because they do not usually decompose properly in the real world, prices are between 2 and 3 times more expensive than conventional products,
PLA products have an unpleasant odour that makes them unsuitable for many food contact applications. Making plastic from GM food to pack food in is morally wrong when one thinks about the food criis in many countries and the millions suffering continual hunger.