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Fantastic Bioplastic

Why do I care? Did You Know?

When you finish drinking play an important role in our daily lives. On average, a of water, what do Americans collectively use 2,500,000 every hour.1 you do with the bottle? Few of these bottles are recycled or reused. Many of the plastic Throw it away? It has to go bottles that you use today somewhere. Sometimes are not biodegradable. it ends up in a landfill, Biodegradable means that often contaminating the a certain material is capable environment. It can pollute of being decomposed, our water ways and our or broken down, by food supply. microorganisms. Plastics It’s up to each individual are also used in schools, to do our world a favor hospitals, homes, grocery and keep it clean. We use stores, restaurants, businesses, plastics for so many things. research labs, and many other places. Just look around for a It’s not realistic to eliminate minute and you’ll see how many things are made of plastic! the use of it completely. That’s why it’s important Some types of plasticS degrade faster than others, but depending to find solutions such as on the type of plastic, it may never break down. Much of it goes biodegradable plastics to landfills, where trash gets buried under ground between and make the choice to layers of dirt. Other plastics end up littering our planet. You use them as sustainably as have probably seen it on the side of the road, in water ways, and possible. sometimes even on a hike in the middle of the woods. This is becoming a huge problem for our environment and our wildlife because it can be very detrimental and destroy habitats for ourselves and other organisms.

One great example of this type of pollution is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It’s a massive body of trash (mainly plastic) located in the middle of the ocean, 1,000 miles away from land. But how did it get there? Most rivers and streams eventually empty into the ocean. When these waterways are polluted, it all flows into our oceans and begins to build up.

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The ocean’s currents can Get With the Lingo force garbage pollution into certain areas, creating other patches of trash as well. See if you can find the The Great Pacific Garbage following definitions in the ‘Did You Know’ section on Patch is about twice the size pages 1 and 2. Then, use this of Texas! Can you imagine knowledge to complete the that much trash? Not only is word puzzle before starting it unsanitary, but it’s really your experiment. harmful for the marine life in that area. This massive amount of pollution has killed all kinds Biodegradable Landfills of wildlife: from birds and turtles to many other aquatic species. Great Pacific Garbage Patch Bioplastic So what can we do to prevent like this? Of Renewable Resources course, is an option. This could drastically cut down on Nonrenewable Resources the amount of waste that the earth. Another alternative is reducing our plastic consumption. Food For Thought There is a new kind of plastic called bioplastic, which degrades Here are some things you can much faster than traditional plastic. This could cut down on do to reduce plastic pollution: the amount of space taken up in landfills and reduce the • Use reusable bottles instead of impact that has on the environment. It takes less energy disposable plastic bottles. • Buy food with the least to produce, and is easier to recycle. Bioplastic will reduce our amount of packaging possible. dependence on foreign oil while giving Americans more jobs to • Have a competition with fill. Also, bioplastic is made from renewable resources, such as your classmates to see who can corn. The cool thing about a is that it can recycle the most plastic! be reproduced fast enough to keep up with our needs. Most Can you think of any other traditional plastic is made from , a nonrenewable ways to reduce plastic resource that is harvested by drilling. Bioplastic is a better option pollution? for the environment, and thus, everyone in the world.

______How is this renewable plastic made? ‘Sea’ for yourself! ______1. “Recycling Facts.” A Recycling Revolution. Web. 09 May 2010. .

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Activity Procedure: Materials

1. Place 8 grams (1 tbsp) of cornstarch Materials Included: in plastic sandwich . • Corn • Sandwich Bag 2. Add 2 drops of corn oil to the bag • Corn Oil • Disposable Pipette using the provided pipette. • Food Coloring 3. Add 21 mL (1 1/2 tbsp) of water to Materials Not Included: bag. • Water • Measuring Spoons 4. Add 7 mL (1/2 tbsp) of corn syrup (1 Tbsp) • Microwave and mix well.

5. Add 2 drops of your favorite food coloring to the mixture and stir well.

6. Microwave your plastic for 20-25 seconds on high. LET STAND 1-2 MINUTES (Caution: sandwich bag will be hot and so will the contents inside).

7. Form your plastic into a ball and observe what happens.

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Discussion Unscramble!

1. What happened to your plastic when you put it into 1. iaolsbipct the microwave? 2. nwlboaeenner sureserco

3. brweelnea srusoeerc 2. What happened to your plastic when you formed it 4. dfsnlllia into a ball? 5. etgra iicafpc abegarg tahcp

6. oabaedbedilrg: 3. What do you notice about your ?

4. Does your biodegradable plastic look the same as your classmates’ plastic? What are the differences?

5. What could you make with this biodegradable plastic if you let it harden?

6. What are some pros and cons to using corn for plastics? EKU Answers:

This activity was adapted by: Candrea Johnson, B.S. Career and Technical Education, 6. biodegradable. 6. University of Kentucky CEA 4-H Youth Development and Gary Selby, B.S. Career and

Technical Education, Eastern Kentucky University. 5. great pacific garbage patch; patch; garbage pacific great 5.

renewable resources; 4. landfills; landfills; 4. resources; renewable The BioEnergy Activity Module (BEAM) Initiative is a project of Eastern Kentucky

nonrenewable resources; 3. 3. resources; nonrenewable University’s Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies (CRAFT) and is 1.bioplastic; 2. 2. 1.bioplastic; funded in whole or in part by the Appalachian Regional Commission. 4