These Straws are Made From Avocado Seeds

Avocado seeds are usually just waste.

Mexican startup, Biofase, has created a plastic made from avocado seeds! Avocado seed waste is a huge byproduct of the avocado industry in Mexico. Biofase has taken these seeds and created a bio-plastic. Bio-plastics are supposed to biodegrade in a few months unlike traditional petroleum based plastic.

In 2015, Biofase was awarded in the Top 5 Bio-plastics Innovations.

Check out this video:

 

So, you want to buy some avocado plastic straws and cutlery? I have not seen this in stores yet but if you have, let me know! You can buy in bulk from their website. It seems that the price per straw or piece of cutlery is about 7 times more expensive than buying traditional plastic in bulk (ex. 8c for a plastic fork vs 60c for the avocado bio-plastic fork) . As more people choose this bio-plastic, we will probably see the price go down.

Will these really biodegrade in the garbage system or in a compost? Researchers from the University of Plymouth in the UK  have checked out the claims of some bioplastic. They found that found plastic bags were still fully functional despite being buried in a garden for 3 years!

In Canada, there is no clear definition of biodegradability but there is for compostable certification.