Seeking to help eliminate single-use plastic bags worldwide, an Australian startup, Cassava Bags, has launched its version of the biodegradable single-use non-plastic bag that can dissolve in hot water.
Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle, and most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to degrade. They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.
The Cassava-based products are all-natural and are 100 per cent non-toxic, Polylactic acid (PLA) free, and Bisphenol (BPA) free and are designed as a single-use product. They also take around three minutes to dissolve in hot water or six months to biodegrade in soil. The products only take a few days to dissolve in the ocean and are safe for marine life to consume.
“Our determination to create a truly biodegradable single-use bag has been driven by our desire to save the planet,” said Bruce Delarossi, cofounder and CEO, Cassava Bags.
“Many people say they are going to do it, but we have, and we are incredibly proud and very excited to be rolling out this extraordinary invention to the rest of the world – a single-use bags and liners that are made from the cassava plant and dissolves in hot water.”
This is not the first time Cassava-based bags have been produced, launched and used worldwide.
In 2015, Balinese Kevin Kumala launched one of the first Cassava-based non-plastic bags with his company, Avani Eco. His company also produces plastic alternatives made from Cassava starch, including lunchboxes, straws, and even kitchen utensils like spoons and forks.
In 2020, Hong Kong-based startup Distinctive Action also released its own version of the Cassava bag called “Invisible Bags”.
Cassava is a hardy, drought-tolerant starchy root vegetable native to South America which is now grown in many countries across the world.
Unlike other biodegradable alternatives to plastic, no oil is needed to produce Cassava-based products. It is sustainable, organic, and safe for the environment, humans or animals, which can ingest it without it causing problems.
