That’s A Sweet Idea

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A professor at Northeastern University has come up with a way to make single-use plates and utensils out of sugar cane and bamboo. The tableware can break down naturally in 60 days, unlike plastic, which is an abomination.

For every 10 tons of sugarcane harvested, there are about three tons of pulp that lays waste. Hongli Zhu, the professor behind this idea, found that she could take that pulp and mix it with bamboo to make a sturdy material that can be molded into plates, bowls, cups, and takeaway containers. It is also cheaper than plastics. It costs $2,333 per ton, compared to $4,750 per ton for biodegradable plastic. It is just a concept for now.

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