plastic producers to meet them halfway. The solu- 

 tion, it seems, is degradable plastic. 



Their targets include mostly manufacturers of 

 discarded plastics such as fast-food containers, six- 

 pack rings, diapers and tampon applicators. 



U.S. companies such as Dow Chemical Co. and 

 Exxon Corp. are pouring millions of dollars into 

 new technologies for degradable goods. And com- 

 panies such as Webster Industries, which produces 

 plastic bags, and Illinois Tool Works, a six-pack 

 ring manufacturer, have had degradable products 

 on the market since the 1970s. 



Some in the industry scoff the move, saying 

 "the quest for plastics degradability is a fantasy 

 driven more by political pressure than common 

 sense," according to an article in Modem Plastics 

 magazine. 



They are worried the anti-plastic movement 

 could send packagers and consumers back to 

 paper, glass and aluminum goods. And they favor 

 more research of other choices such as improved 

 landfill, incineration and recycling techniques. 



Degradable plastics are more expensive to 

 make, says Richard D. Gilbert, a professor of textile 

 chemistry at North Carolina State University who 

 has researched biodegradability. Industries can 

 count on a 15 percent increase in costs, which will 

 eventually be passed on to consumers. 



In addition, the time some of these plastics can 

 be used will be limited, Gilbert says. 



And that's not good if you're a store-owner 

 who sets six-packs of sodas outside your store, for 

 example. Depending on the makeup, photo- 

 degradable rings could deteriorate before someone 

 buys the drinks. 



All plastics are photodegradable to some extent, 

 but the process is very slow, says Vivian T. Stan- 

 nett, a professor emeritus in the NCSU Department 

 of Chemical Engineering. 



What scientists seek now are ways to greatly 

 speed this process. 



Conventional plastics are made of synthetic 

 polymers— long chains of molecules of the same 

 chemical unit. 



Think of it as a beaded necklace, Stannett 

 suggests. 



A natural polymer such as sugar is small and 

 does not have many "beads." But polymers for 

 plastics can contain up to 10,000 molecules, Stan- 

 nett says. 



The long chains contribute to the plastics' high 

 strength, flexibility and toughness, Gilbert says. 



And these properties allow them to be used in 

 hundreds of ways. 



Plastics used in textiles, say, are different from 

 those in latex paint. Acrylic differs from the plastic 

 in a Styrofoam cup. 



To make plastics degradable, the chemical 

 bonds that hold the beads together must be sen- 

 sitive to light, oxidation, other chemicals, bacteria 

 or enzymes. 



In 1976, Webster Industries began adding a 

 chemical to raw plastic resins to produce a line of 

 degradable garbage bags, says Doug Klem, a regional 

 sales manager in Charlotte, NC. All it takes is a few 

 hours of sun to start the process. 



When ultraviolet light strikes the photosensitive 

 bonds in the long polymer chain, it breaks the 

 bonds and divides the molecules into shorter and 

 shorter chains. Eventually, you can bury the bag, 

 and it will shred to almost nothing. 



The time it takes to disappear varies, Klem 

 says. Variables include the time of year, temperature 

 and the amount of available ultraviolet light. 



In Raleigh, N.C., a bag might take one and a 

 half years to two years to decay, Klem says. In 

 Maine, it would take about five years. 



To make plastics biodegradable, a natural or 

 synthetic polymer must be added to the long 

 chains that can be eaten by bacteria and enzymes. 

 Starch and cellulose are two natural polymers often 

 added. 



One Illinois industry added cornstarch to a 

 plastics mixture to create such a bag. Once the bag 

 is buried, the cornstarch becomes food for the 

 bacteria and other microbes in the soil. As they eat 

 the "bonds," the long chains become smaller. The 

 more cornstarch used, the faster the bags degrade. 



Although salespeople agree the market for 

 degradables is small now, they expect to see an in- 

 crease as people become more environmentally 

 aware and more legislation is passed. 



New state laws requiring degradable six-pack 

 rings haven't hurt business for the Hi-Cone Divi- 

 sion of Illinois Tool Works. They make a photo- 

 degradable ring that can rot in two to 15 weeks, 

 depending on the sunlight. 



Although such degradable items could alleviate 

 problems for wildlife in the long-term, they can still 

 be harmful in the short-term. 



After all, even one month is too long for a 

 brown pelican to escape a tangled mesh of dis- 

 carded fishing line. 



