Plastic is the rubbish that ias the number one enemy of the environment. Described the difficult material to make a pile of plastic garbage kept mounting. It took hundreds of years until the plastic breaks down by microbes in the soil.
But now plastic waste can be easily destroyed and degraded within 4-8 weeks and can be integrated in the soil. Decomposition of waste plastics that enable fast using nano technology.
Nano technology used here is the addition of nano calcium carbonate as a filler in plastic sheets. How it works, microorganisms will break down the plastic with a slow erosion process.
The smaller the particle size of calcium carbonate (about 50 nm), the greater the contact of microorganisms with plastic. This means that the process of erosion is also greater, so the plastic becomes easier to decompose biologically.
These technologies are environmentally friendly, because the plastic that normally could only decomposes in time hundreds of years can be degraded within a few months.
Actually, the form of nano particles like powder, but once formulated into the plastic formula is then shaped plastic sheets.
Nanotechnology formula for this waste is made varies. The greater the nano content , plastic will decompose faster. But the plasticity and the nature of transparency will be reduced.
So have the proper formula, according to the wishes of the plastic users. Until now there is still no specific name for this garbage nanotechnology products. A particular form of packaging is also not there, still a plastic sheet. All good plastic large, medium or small can be more easily degraded biologically with the addition of nano particles.
This plastic garbage when it is destroyed (biological) will be returned to the ground. If the plastic is recycled into biodegradable plastic is also safe for consumer use plastic filler is calcium carbonate which is not toxic.
Biodegradable plastics selling price will be more expensive than conventional plastics. Therefore there must be a government policy to provide a quota of biodegradable plastic to make it more affordable by the public.
Biodegradable plastic technology is more expensive than conventional technologies for the plastic. In some developed countries like Europe for example, bioplastik sold in supermarkets at a price 8-10 times higher than the price of ordinary plastic.
But people in Europe are still able and willing to buy it though bioplastik cost much more. Though expensive for the price it is still affordable for them other than environmental awareness of communities is also very high.
In Japan, most of the plastic wrap has been given additional calcium carbonate to increase the speed.
In Indonesia, is still very difficult to sell expensive bioplastik to the public because people’s purchasing power and environmental awareness is still relatively low.
So the government through the Ministry of Environment should continue to encourage public awareness of this, as well as providing subsidies to bioplastik more affordable price.
Place of Final Waste Disposal (TPA), also very suitable to use this technology but to realize it needs support from the government. For the plastic is discarded into the landfill it should use this technology.
Nano technology has now been started to be applied in various national industries such as ceramics industry, textile industry, cosmetic industry, food industry, and paint industries. According to the study of the Department of Industry, currently 33-35 percent of the national industry is applying nanotechnology in the production. Research on nano technology in several research institutions such as LIPI also have started getting attention from government and private sectors.