Plastics have become an important part of modern life and are used in different sectors of applications like packaging, building materials, consumer products and much more. Plastic packaging provides excellent protection for the product, it is cheap to manufacture and seems to last forever. Lasting forever, however, is proving to be a major environmental problem. Another problem is that traditional plastics are manufactured from non-renewable resources – oil, coal and natural gas. In an effort to overcome these shortcomings, biochemical researchers and engineers have long been seeking to develop biodegradable plastics that are made from renewable resources, such as plants. Most of today's plastics and synthetic polymers are produced from petrochemicals. As conventional plastics are persistent in the environment, improperly disposed plastic materials are a significant source of environmental pollution, potentially harming life. The plastic sheets or bags do not allow water and air to go into earth which causes reduction in fertility status of soil, preventing degradation of other normal substances, depletion of underground water source and danger to animal life. In the seas too, plastic rubbish - from ropes and nets to the plastic bands from beer packs -choke and entangle the marine mammals. The biodegradable polymers could be an alternative to the conventional plastic materials. The term biodegradable means that a substance is able to be broken down into simpler substances by the activities of living organisms, and therefore is unlikely to persist in the environment. There are many different standards used to measure biodegradability, with each country having its own. The requirements range from 90 per cent to 60 per cent decomposition of the product within 60 to 180 days of being placed in a standard composting environment. The reason traditional plastics are not biodegradable is because their long polymer molecules are too large and too tightly bonded together to be broken apart and assimilated by decomposer organisms. However, plastics based on natural plant polymers derived from wheat or corn starch have molecules that are readily attacked and broken down by microbes. Biodegradable plastics are mainly derived from corn, wheat and potato starch. Biodegradable plastics products are thermoplastic materials which are processed with the same machines traditionally used to process conventional plastics. Biodegradable plastic products physical and chemical properties are similar to those of traditional plastics, but it is completely biodegradable in different environments, just like pure cellulose. Biodegradable Plastic products are generally a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally-occurring micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. A biodegradable plastic product is made from normal polymer; the same used in making plastic products but at the same time it also contains newly invented biodegradable plastic additives. Biodegradable additives when mixed with compatible plastic raw material LLDPE/LDPE, PP, HDPE, etc. will cause the plastic to photo, thermal and chemically degrade as litter in anaerobic and aerobic facilities. These plastics will progressively degrade to lower and lower molecular weights As a result of which they become brittle, fragmented until appoint in time they are digested by the micro organisms back to the basic elements of carbon dioxide, water and the biomass. Hotels & Hospitals are places where maximum waste is generated. This is where biodegradable plastic can play a major role in serving all its purpose and at the same time is not hazardous or harmful to nature. Application areas identified in India for biodegradable plastics are Agricultural Mulch, Surgical Implants, Industrial Packaging, Wrapping, Milk Sachets, Food service, Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Recreational, etc. Demand for Bio-based polymer is certainly growing across several sectors and region. The major benefit from bio-based polymer is the sustainable aspect of renewable sources for the monomers instead of relying on petroleum or natural gas based finite sources. Biodegradable Plastics is "Popular" as Green Packaging. Packaging has become one of the hot spots of green revolution. A major change is taking place in packaged goods and the industry is at a tipping point. Biodegradable plastics is the growing demand for packaging, the manufacturer will subsequently increase productivity. The next several years, the market demand for biodegradable packaging materials will continue to grow. Biodegradable materials by nature rely on the role of microbial decomposition, as packaging materials can significantly reduce the amount of garbage. With good quality of products, about 41% of biodegradable packaging is used for food preservation. 90 years since the 20th century, the global production of biodegradable plastics rapid increase, of which around 60% used in the packaging industry. By 2011, biodegradable plastic packaging production will reach 116,000 tons, an average annual growth rate of 22%.
