Research explores bioplastic for crop containers

By Simone Scruggs, simone.scruggs@iowastatedaily.com

A research program to better the environment and create a more sustainable use for crop containers is underway at Iowa State.

The program is being used to study sustainable bioplastic containers for crops and plants to be sold in for commercial uses to consumers. This program is in its third year of a five year study.

The main purpose of the program is to make container crops horticulture more sustainable.

The containers give off a fertilizer affect while the crops or plants are growing. As the crop or plant grows inside the container, the container loses coloring on the outside due to the crop or plant taking away the fertilizer and nutrients. The container also then begin to degrade.

Most containers are made from petroleum plastic that are not degradable. James Schrader, an assistant scientist in horticulture, said all of the containers being tested are more sustainable than the petroleum plastic because they are biodegradable.

“There is the container crop industry that uses about 800,000 tons of plastic every year and most all of that goes into landfill,” Schrader said. “Either the customer throws it there or the growers if they have plants they were unable to sell. The don't reuse those containers.”

Schrader said it is possible to recycle the petroleum plastic, but just about no one does, so the plastic ends up in landfills. One reason consumers are not recycling the plastic is because it is dirty from the crop or plant, Schrader said.

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