Plastic has been around since 1907, and though it was invented to address a need, it is undeniable that it is causing great distress to our environment. More than a millennium has passed, yet about 8.3 billion tons of plastic that have been produced since 1907 still exists today in some form.
It is no secret that plastics take LONG YEARS to decompose. For instance, it takes 10 to 1000 years for a plastic bag to decompose, while it takes at least 450 years for single plastic bottle to break down. And that is where the problem comes in, given the fact that the decomposition of plastics take a long time while we massively produce these products every day. In fact, it only takes 1 minute for 1 million of plastic bottles to be sold worldwide.
Due to the massive production and consumption of plastics, it is causing a strain to our environment. Not only does it pollute nature- it also kills it. In fact, plastic kills more than a million of seabirds and marine life every year.
There is only one way to address the great problem brought by plastic. If we truly want to make our world- our home sustainable, then we must change our habits and start taking recycling seriously. However, convincing people to take responsibility over the plastics they use is not that easy. If it is, then why does only 7% of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced was recycled?!
A company in Bali, Indonesia believes that we should no longer waste time convincing stubborn people to act differently. Rather, we should try to focus on designing a better product that will not cause harm to the environment. With this goal in mind, Avani came up with a line of fully biodegradable single-use bags that does not take years to decompose.
The environmental friendly single-use bags Avani developed is made out of cassava root starch and natural resins that takes 3 to 6 months to decompose. And once it disintegrates, it leaves no toxic residue which means that it has no negative effect to nature.
In addition, one of the main feature of their unique and innovative single-use bag is that even if it is accidentally discarded to sea, it wouldn’t kill marine life. Why? Because it can be dissolved in water in a matter of minute!
Aside from this, the dissolved single-use bag invented by Avani can be eaten by terrestrial and marine animals- even humans as well!
“Avani bags ‘disappear’ with the help of macro- and micro-organisms under natural conditions and can go to landfills directly. Other bioplastics WILL ONLY degrade under industrial composting conditions and WILL NOT decompose when discarded improperly.” Kevin Kumala, the co-founder of Avani explained.
The Avani biodegradable single-use plastic bags cost two to three cents more than the average plastic bag. But the additional two to three cents is surely worth your money in exchange of its tremendous help to our sickly environment.
“What is two cents more when you can help reduce the plastic waste that is currently occurring on our planet?” Kevin Kumala asserted.
Did you know that the average longevity of plastic use is roughly around 12 minutes. That means that after 12 minutes, plastic bags had already served its time and will be discarded. A hundred of years in exchange for a 12-minute usage does no justice for our environment. Hopefully, Avani’s innovative and much environmental-friendly invention can replace single-use plastic bags!
Watch the video below and learn more about Avani’s single-use biodegradable bag, the product that has the potential to save our environment!