I’m not a great fan of potatoes…I don’t like them boiled, I don’t like them mashed and I don’t even like them baked. Come to think of it, the only way I like them is as Crisps (yes, hardly the healthiest choice I appreciate, but I find comfort in telling myself a little here and there won’t amount to great harm). So basically, what I’m saying is I rarely eat potatoes and products made from them or with them. Yet, there is this new product made from potato that I believe is absolutely ingenious because it allows me to eat WITH potatoes instead of eat THE potatoes (family reunions are such a bother when “family” insist you tuck into their lovely variations of potato dishes).
Bio-plastics (organic plastics) could be argued to be still rather relatively new, but it is certainly not unheard of. What makes bio-plastics different from petroleum based plastic (petroplastics) is how they are derived from renewable biomass sources which make them eco-friendly. They possess the features of being bio-degradable and producible with reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which allows for them to be classified as sustainable.
I believe the most common renewable biomass source for organic plastics is corn, but today I want to draw your attention over to the other source – potatoes!
If your food is natural or organic, why can’t you expect the same to be of your cutlery? Of course I appreciate that they won’t look as lovely as silverware but if it’s for a picnic or a simple garden party why not consider using potato plastic cutlery? After all they are:
- Made from a renewable and local source
- Is stable to sustain heat up to 220 degree Fahrenheit (remember how toxic petroplastics gets when heated up)
- Will fully biodegrade in your compost bin in less than two months
- Affordable because they cost pretty much equal to the standard petroleum plastic cutlery
In fact it’s so simple to make potato plastic; you can even do it at home (for fun as a science project with your kids maybe?)! All you need is:
- Patience
- 2 Potatoes
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- Water
- 2 tsp white vinegar,
- 2 tsp white glycerine
- food dye (optional)
Steps:
- Peel the potatoes, dice them and blend them with 1 cup of water
- Strain the cloudy blended potatoes through a sieve(a coffee filter will do fine) leaving nothing but the blended white potato behind.
- Next, add 1 ½ tsp of baking soda with 2 tbsp of water into a separate, small container setting it aside for later.
- Pour about 7 tbsp of cold water into a pan before adding about 1 tbsp of the blended potato, 2 tsp of white vinegar, 2 tsp of glycerine and a few drops of the food dye (drops would depend on the desired intensity of colour).
- On low heat stir the mixture with a spatula until the mixture thickens. Then turn to medium heat and continue stirring before adding the baking soda and water mixture bringing them to a boil (10 minutes should be about right). You will know it’s done when the potato mixture achieves a gooey consistency.
- Carefully pour the gooey substance onto a sheet of aluminum foil to leave it for drying. You may choose to let the potato substance dry a one day in a sunny area (sheltered of course), or bake it in the oven at 150 degrees for hours if you’re in a hurry.
- Once that process is complete, you can go ahead and mold or shape your newly created plastic. Transforming it into anything that you want it to be! Your imagination is the boundary.
