Source: PlantSwitch news release
Sanford, NC - Scientific engineers have found a way to turn wheat, corn, hemp and flax into compostable high-performance plastic, more durable than traditional plastic.
There's a new plastic on the horizon that's made from the waste materials of every day agricultural products like wheat straw, corn husks, hemp stalks and flax straw. Scientists have found a way to take these agricultural waste products and convert them into a resin that is compatible with existing plastic processing machinery to mold single use plastic items from utensils, straws and coffee pods to food packaging, plates, bowls and other every day plastic items.
The end result is an affordable plastic that looks, feels and bends just like plastic. The only differences: This agriculturally-derived plastic breaks down in a matter of hours in home countertop compost bins and leaves behind zero harmful microplastics in the environment.
It's called PlantSwitch, and the team behind this new form of upcycled agriculturally-derived plastic, Dillon Baxter, 29, and Maxime Blandin, 31, were just 24 and 26, respectively, when they discovered how to engineer the first affordable drop-in solution for high performance alternative plastic.
Their mission is zero waste, giving a downstream of agricultural waste a second life as plastic that is then turned into compost after consumer use.
The company, having raised $20M in VC and federal grant funding, is currently producing more than 50 Million Lbs. of its compostable plastic annually and distributing to brands from food conglomerate Taylor Farms to Walmart's Marketside brand. They are currently in talks with Whole Foods Market, a national ice cream chain, medical device companies, Yum! Brands Foods and cosmetics brands.