PLA is often hailed as the answer to our plastic pollution problem. But is PLA eco-friendly?
When I started to look into living a more sustainable life, I found that there are many materials out there that are more eco-friendly than traditional plastic.
But I soon got confused about all the different claims, especially when it comes to PLA.
So I decided to get to the bottom of this and share my findings with you. I wanted a definitive answer to the question: is PLA eco-friendly?
What Is PLA?
In order to be able to answer the question “is PLA eco-friendly?” we first have to look at what PLA actually is.
The acronym stands for polylactic acid, which is a polyester that has been made from plant-based materials. These types of plastics are also called bioplastics.
So even though PLA is made from a sustainable source, mostly cornstarch or sugarcane, it’s still a plastic. That’s because the natural materials undergo a chemical process that turns them into plastic.
This process is similar to the one that turns crude oil, that is fossil fuels, into traditional plastic.
PLA can be used for dental floss, bristles, plastic films, bottles, textiles and medical devices, such as pins and plates and many other things.
That’s why the demand for PLA is quite high all over the world.
Because the source material of PLA is renewable, it is often seen as a more sustainable plastic, as are other bioplastics. But is PLA eco-friendly?
Let’s break it down to find the answer.
PLA Production
According to a study from 2021, the production of PLA uses 65% less energy than traditional polymers. It also produces 60% fewer greenhouse gases.
Unlike traditional plastics that are made from fossil fuels, PLA is made from plant-based biomass. This means that it uses a sustainable source.
As such, PLA is more eco-friendly than fossil fuel-derived plastics. So far so good, but the production side is only one part of the story.
PLA Disposal
The question of disposal is an important part of answering the question “is PLA eco-friendly”. A material can only be called eco-friendly if it can be disposed of without causing harm to the environment.
And at first glance, PLA seems to also solve this problem. Because PLA can be disposed of in several ways:
- PLA is compostable
- PLA is biodegradable
- PLA is recyclable
But as we will see, most PLA plastics end up in landfill. Let’s look at each disposal method in more detail to find out why.
PLA Is Compostable
So PLA is classed as compostable. However, it is only industrially compostable. This means it won’t compost on the compost heap in your garden.
For PLA to compost it needs certain conditions, which it won’t get on a domestic compost heap. This means that if you want to compost it, you have to drop it off at an industrial composting facility.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many around in the UK, which means that most of us won’t have access to such specialised commercial composting facilities.
Don’t be tempted to throw PLA plastic on your compost heap, as it won’t compost, and you just end up with plastic pieces in your beds.
So what about the food or green waste bin, I hear you ask.
Unfortunately, the majority of UK councils also don’t accept compostable plastics in their food or garden waste bins.
So while PLA plastics are compostable, they can only be composted in an industrial composting facility. But then it will turn into compost in about 12 weeks.
PLA Is Biodegradable
PLA plastics are also biodegradable. Although both terms are often used interchangeably, biodegradable and compostable aren’t the same thing.
Everything that is compostable is biodegradable, but not everything that is biodegradable is compostable.
Simply put, biodegradable means a material will break down into smaller particles. These can include toxins, microplastics and non-harmful materials.
Compostable means it will break down into non-toxic materials, such as water and carbon-dioxide, and turn into compost.
So PLA is biodegradable and because it is made from bio-based materials, it will break down into non-toxic materials.
But it needs the right conditions to break down. It needs the right temperature, humidity, oxygen levels and more curially the presence of microorganisms.
Otherwise, it can take at least 80 years to up to 1,000 years for PLA to break down.
This means, in landfill, the environment or our oceans PLA plastics will take ages to break down.
PLA Is Recyclable
Like many other plastics, PLA is also recyclable. This is great, because the most environmentally friendly way to deal with plastic, other than avoiding it, is to recycle it.
Single-use plastics are one of the worst things for our planet, so recycling is always the better option.
And the good news is that PLA plastics can be recycled. Both with mechanical and chemical methods.
PLA can even be turned into virgin PLA through certain chemical recycling processes.
Virgin plastic is newly manufactured plastic from the source material. This plastic is much higher quality than recycled plastic.
One problem with recycling plastic is that it can only be recycled a limited number of times until it is no longer usable. So being able to turn plastic into virgin plastic is great, because it means it can be recycled endlessly, as long as it is always treated with the same process.
Unfortunately, chemical recycling is only done in specialist facilities, which are not easy to access for us normal people. UK council recycling facilities normally use mechanical recycling.
And while PLA plastic can also be recycled with these methods, most UK councils don’t accept compostable or biodegradable plastics in their recycling programmes.
This means you can’t put PLA plastics in your recycling bin at home. But why, I hear you shout.
Well, biodegradable plastic might not behave in the same way as other plastics. For example, PLA has a lower melting point than other plastics.
This means it can’t be recycled with other plastics using this method as it would contaminate the hole load. As a result, none of it gets recycled but either ends up in landfill or gets incinerated.
So because there is a chance PLA could contaminate other plastic recycling, it is not accepted in home recycling bins.
Landfill
You may have already guessed it, in the end PLA ends up in landfill. Because most people have no choice but to put anything made from PLA plastics in their general waste bin.
This is a real shame, because on the face of it PLA could be a really eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic, made from fossil fuels.
But without the right infrastructure in place, we can’t take advantage of the eco-friendly properties PLA plastic brings with it.
The only good news here is that when PLA eventually breaks down, after up to 1,000 years, it will not release any toxins and will not harm the planet in this way.
Conclusion – Is PLA Eco-Friendly?
So unfortunately, I have to conclude that the answer to the question “Is PLA eco-friendly?” is no.
Yes, PLA is compostable, biodegradable and recyclable. But because it is only industrially compostable, it’s not a viable disposal option for most us.
Access to industrial composting facilities is rare for most people. PLA’s biodegradability requires certain conditions. This means that in most circumstances it will still take hundreds of years to break down.
While PLA is recyclable, it’s not accepted by most UK councils as part of their home recycling schemes, because it can contaminate other plastic recycling.
The best that can be said about PLA is that it’s more eco-friendly than traditional plastic that is made from fossil fuels.
Its production is more sustainable, using plant-based materials and not using as much energy and releasing less greenhouse gases.
But until we have the right infrastructure, disposing of PLA plastics is difficult, which means most will end up in landfill.
