Useful waste: New bioplastics from wood, and banana plant rugs

In this week’s global progress briefs, meet the new ghost busters – the people who are making it their business to trap greenhouse gases from our old fridges and air conditioners.  

1. United States

Researchers from the University of Maryland and Yale have made a breakthrough in the search for sustainable plastic alternatives, developing a wood-based bioplastic that disintegrates in a few months. For comparison, conventional plastic can take centuries to break down. The new bioplastic is created by using a biodegradable solvent to deconstruct wood powder found at lumber mills into a slurry, which can then be shaped into common plastic

2. Peru3. Ireland4. Uganda5. IndiaWorld