Beyond Plastic
Beyond Plastic investigates and tests organic alternatives to traditional plastic products.
Single use plastics are particularly difficult to recycle, yet are important and necessary in everyday life.These products are often unrecyclable because they are difficult to collect, contaminated and usually low quality plastic. To reduce the influence on the environment that these plastics have, Beyond Plastic is formulating compostable and sustainable bioplastic alternatives. A bioplastic is a material that replicates the typical properties of plastic, but is made using biomass.
Beyond Plastic is currently investigating several different projects that utilise unused organic material or waste streams. Through this research we are optimising the properties, process and design to form useful plastic alternatives. Below are some summaries of our current projects.
Our Beyond Plastic Projects
To address these problem polymers, BPM has divided its focus among a few different projects, exploring different material types, manufacturing methods and product designs.
Our current projects are Apple Pomace Containers, Pine Needles, Biopress, Agar Films, Edible Cutlery and Orange Peel Waste
Hover through our projects to find out more!
Pine Needles Recycling
This study aims to develop compostable plastic from softwood plantation waste, primarily radiata pine needles.
There is a very high demand for single use plastic packing in today’s world. However, the disposal of these plastic packaging is releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Beyond Plastic aims to curb the use of non-biodegradable plastic packing by developing and researching an alternative bioplastic made out of agar.
The goal of this project is to use apple pomace to create a home compostable bioplastic. Apple pomace is the solid waste from the production of apple juice.
One of the Beyond Plastics goals is to discover new ways to utilise waste streams and create bioplastics out of them. We aim to take old things that normally go in the bin like banana peels, coffee grounds, used grains and hops from brews or egg shells and turn them into something useful.
Edible cutlery is a simple alternative to single-use plastic cutlery. We have researched and refined a recipe to produce a useful and tasty product, which can be consumed after use or composted.
The ultimate goal of the Biopress Project is to reduce the consumption of single waste plastic bowls, cups and plates by creating biodegradable alternatives made from recycled materials.
More About Our Projects…
Pine Needle Recycling
This study aims to develop compostable plastic from softwood plantation waste, primarily radiata pine needles.
As a by-product of sustainable softwood plantations, pine needles provide a low-cost, readily available, and renewable resource. Utilising a current industrial waste stream eliminates the need for purpose-grown agriculture or associated waste and creates a closed-loop process.
The bioplastic application is to be a bio-plantable container, to replace plastic plant pots which contribute significantly to landfills.
ORANGE PEEL WASTE
The goal of this project is to turn orange peel waste into a bowl that can hold food.
The orange peels are given to PPM from the Monash Merchant, as they would otherwise be thrown away and we are always interested in turning food waste into something new.
The project was undertaken by our new recruits to teach them valuable technical skills as well as giving them experience in team-working and creative thinking. Several variations of orange peel and glycerine were tested before a final combination was decided upon.
Apple Pomace Containers
The goal of this project is to use apple pomace to create a home compostable bioplastic. Apple pomace is the solid waste from the production of apple juice. Their high sugar content means that they can’t be used as feedstock so they tend to end up in landfills, producing large amounts of GHG. They have the potential to be made into bioplastic without the use of binders using compression moulding.
Sheets of apple pomace plastic were made under a variety of conditions. Their strength and elongation were tested. They were also composted in a home system to determine the degradability.
Biopress
The ultimate goal of the Biopress Project is to reduce the consumption of single waste plastic bowls, cups and plates by creating biodegradable alternatives made from recycled materials.
To make this goal possible, we are working on the biporess machine. The biopress is a strong heat press that will be able to turn organic materials (like food waste) into biodegradable products like plates, bowls or cups. From start to finish, this machine will dehydrate and blend organic material into a fine, dry powder, which can then be pressed with high heat and pressure into moulds that produce a variety of products. Inspiration was found from the Precious Plastic Community online.
Agar Films
There is a very high demand for single use plastic packing in today’s world. However, the disposal of these plastic packaging is releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, decreasing soil fertility due to its inability to biodegrade, and harming marine life due to many tonnes of packaging ending up in the oceans.
Beyond Plastic aims to curb the use of non-biodegradable plastic packing by developing and researching an alternative bioplastic made out of agar.
You can try making these at home using our simple home recipe if you like!
Directions:
Boil 420 mL of water in a pan, and stir in 4 g of agar. Once the agar is fully dissolved, combine the solution with 2.5 mL of glycerol. Continue stirring to remove any bubbles that may have formed. Pour the solution into a non-stick baking tray and leave to dry for 2-3 days. Once dry, the film can be peeled off the mould. See FYP in ‘Completed Projects’ for finer details.
Goal: Using the seaweed-derived substance, agar, the goal is to create a biodegradable alternative to single use plastic packaging.
Dehydrator/Material Bank
One of the Beyond Plastics goals is to discover new ways to utilise waste streams and create bioplastics out of them. We aim to take old things that normally go in the bin like banana peels, coffee grounds, used grains and hops from brews or egg shells and turn them into something useful. Over lockdowns in COVID we have been collecting such materials and dehydrating them to remove moisture and preserve them. Some examples of the materials can be seen in the following images: (banana, brews, egg shells etc.).
After dehydration, the materials are compiled into our ‘Material Bank’ where they are stored until further use and testing. These materials are then processed and can be tested on certain variables such as absorbency, strength, durability and flexibility.
Edible Cutleries
Edible cutlery is a simple alternative to single use plastic cutlery. We have researched and refined a recipe to produce a useful and tasty product, which can be consumed after use or composted. However, there are limitations to edible cutlery at the moment as it has a limited shelf life and is delicate so generally requires more protection to travel with compared to single use plastic alternatives. The process can be replicated at home which makes this an easy and approachable way of reducing plastic consumption. Precious Plastics runs Edible Cutlery workshops which provide details and a demonstration of the cutlery production.
