Company Turns Avocado Pit Waste Into Biodegradable Straws and Cutlery

Environmental Impact of Plastic Waste

Plastic items may be convenient, but they are definitely not environmentally friendly. The single-use plastic items in our world are ruining the environment with some of them taking decades to deteriorate and other things killing animals and displacing animals from their habitats. Since this is such a huge problem, many places around the world are banning single-use plastic items, and there has become more of a demand for biodegradable items instead. There are even biodegradable plastics now too, but the problem with this is that many of these are made from fossil fuel. They also cost a lot more than regular plastic items.

Scott Munguia's Innovative Solution

A biochemical engineer named Scott Munguia from Mexico has created his own solution to this problem that is affecting our earth in a drastic way. You may think that he's come up with some secret chemical formula to make plastic even more environmentally friendly, but that's not it at all. He's looked to plants, specifically avocados, to solve this issue. Yes, avocados, which are consumed all over North America and Central America. It's not the fruit of the plant that he is using, but the pit of the avocado. His company called Biofase is taking these avocado pits and making them into amazing biodegradable straws, spoons, forks, knives and so on. They will turn 15 tons of avocado pits per day into these take out items that people use on a daily basis.

Reducing Agricultural Waste

Usually, avocado pits are thrown away by local companies that use avocados for food. Restaurants will throw away tons of avocado pits every day depending on how many avocados they use, and otherwise, they would be going to the landfill. So he gets them practically for free, and he's also helping to cut back on agricultural waste. They also pass along the savings to their customers and consumers by keeping the items the same cost as plastic cutlery and straws.

Sustainability and Biodegradability

It also means that no additional land will be needed to make these bioplastics because they are coming from something that is already being grown and would otherwise go to waste. So as you can see, there are so many advantages here already. It's also truly biodegradable unlike many of the plastics that claim to be biodegradable but then don't biodegrade quickly enough. The avocado seed products are said to fully decompose in just 240 days whereas, when you're looking at regular plastic items, it could take them up to 500 years to break down and even then they don't fully biodegrade.

Storage and Versatility

As for storing them, they can be kept in a cool and dry place and keep for a year or so before it starts degrading. The company has figured out how to make the compound into any shape they like so they can be used for practically anything. This might not be such great news for plastic manufacturers, but it's amazing news for the world and the environment.

Taking Action for a Greener Future

If you want to start making a difference, you can purchase products like these avocado seed ones, or you can even start using glass or metal straws that you can reuse all the time. You can also carry around cutlery with you when you go out to eat. Some businesses are even starting to recycle their chopsticks to make other items out of them like furniture and other wood products. If you go for take out, you can also bring your own containers for them to put the food in or bring your own containers for leftovers when you go out for food and don't finish it. It's great there are so many options these days.