• Question: Do you prefer Biodegradable or nondegradable polymers? Do you think they are worth the extra effort to make?

    Asked by JP to Anne, Arthur, Rose, Ruhina, Thomas on 16 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Rose Simnett

      Rose Simnett answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      I think that biodegradable polymers can sometimes cause more problems than non-degradable ones. Often, the polymer degrades into smaller molecules that could be toxic. Hopefully, we will be able to produce a polymer that degrades into non-toxic small molecules very soon.

    • Photo: Ruhina Miller

      Ruhina Miller answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      It depends on the whole chain from manufacturing to the end of its “life” – so if it took more resources and energy to make a biodegradable one then perhaps it isn’t worth it, or if it’s possible to re-use a nondegradable polymers then this might be beneficial. It all depends on how much resources it takes to make it and what happens to it when it’s “waste” – aside how useful the polymer is in general of course!

    • Photo: Arthur Wilkinson

      Arthur Wilkinson answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      I know that biodegradable polymers cause problems in recycling when mixed with normal polymers and obviously have problems with being reused (the uses of “green” use of polymers are “reduce, recycle, reuse). So I think that biodegradable polymers will be useful in only a small number of applications.

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