Indonesian company introduces alternative to plastic

This photograph taken on January 24, 2017 shows Kevin Kumala, founder of Avani Eco, displaying his products during an interview in Jakarta. (AFP)

An Indonesian entrepreneur and his company have tried to halt the islands’ plastic scourge with an alternative to conventional plastic.

Kevin Kumala, co-founder of Avani Eco has presented a cassava-made carrier bag in a country that discards tons of plastic on a daily basis. Cassava which is a tropical root found abundantly in Indonesia can be used to make biodegradable plastic that unlike its artificial counterpart, breaks down within a few months into the earth and is dissolved instantly in lukewarm water.

This project has begun at a critical time as reports predict the amounts of plastic in the ocean will surpass fish by 2050. Kumala who’s a biology graduate demonstrates how his designed bags do not harm marine or terrestrial life even if burnt before being dissolved into water or earth.

Despite its promising features, the non-plastic costs nearly twice the price of plastic as no government funding is aimed at reducing plastic waste. But producers and environmentalists hope that a pay-it-forward-attitude in the market lower the price of the bio-product.

 


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