As the jewel of the Indonesian archipelago, there’s little question that Bali is a big draw for tourists. But the curse of plastic pollution is an undeniable threat, marred by littered shores and vast landfills. The crisis inspired Kevin Kumala, a neighborhood surfer and entrepreneur, to search out an revolutionary solution to the issue.
“I was sitting outside a bar with a friend and we saw hundreds of bikers in vinyl ponchos,” he recalls. “I noticed that these disgusting, toxic ponchos would be used a few times and then thrown away, but they wouldn’t decompose.”
Kumala, who has a biology degree, got down to create a greater plastic that wouldn’t leave a trace. The Avani Eco co-founder developed a biodegradable and compostable cassava-based bioplastic. It took the form of cassava, an inexpensive and customary root that’s easy to search out throughout Indonesia. Kumala and his partner are researching the emerging field of bioplastics and drew inspiration from latest materials based on corn and soy starch. They developed their very own formula using cassava starch, vegetable oil and organic resins.
The effect of their innovation was incredible. Thanks to its 100% bio-based material, the cassava plastic bag decomposes in months on land or at sea, or immediately in hot water. Kumala claims that the bioplastic leaves no trace of toxic residue, as he demonstrates in his video by dissolving it and drinking it.
“I wanted to show that this bioplastic would be so harmless to marine life that humans could drink it,” he says. “I wasn’t nervous because it passed the oral toxicity test.” Kumala estimates that Avani’s plastic bags are about twice as expensive, although some products, similar to ponchos, could also be cheaper than vinyl competitors. “We want to do it on a larger scale, but it depends on who gets on the bus,” Kumala says.
In 2014, he began a business selling cassava and plastic ponchos. His company Avani Eco currently produces 4 tons of the fabric, which is used to make products similar to plastic bags, food packaging and hospital bed covers. Through his company, Kumala goals to advertise using bioplastic bags to beat conventional plastic, which has so many impacts on nature.
Source :cnn.com
