The plastics made from oil derivatives like polietileno, polipropileno, policloruro de vinilo and

others are not biodegradable and their use is a serious problem to the environment and can carry
harmful effects on the human health by consuming food or drinks packed in plastic packages. To
solve this problem, an aviable alternative is the use of bioplastics made from natural and
renewable sources which can be degraded by hongos, bacterias and algas. Lukhas: The almidón
and celulosa made by plants, are the raw material to obtain vegetables bioplastics. Usually this
bioplastics are made from the waste of potatoes, corn, wheat, tapioca, sugar cane and yuca to
produce packages, bags and more. Bioplastics made from almidón an celulosa are obtained by
bacterial fermentation, they are too weak and are not useful to produce strong and flexible films.
However, they are useful to produce rigid trays to package dry products, because this bioplastics
can be dissolved by water.

After years of research, the Colombian group Phoenix Packaging started the manufacture of
bioplastic glasses; with the guarantee of they will be recycled and been organic fertilizer. Phoenix
Packaging, Control Ambiental and Avianca are the three first companies in get into in one of the
most important projects of environmental sustainability in Colombia: the use of bioplastic glasses,
made from corn almidón, and the following of each one of them to, once they catch the useful life,
could be transformed in natural fertilizer to the farm. At the beginning, they will made with
foreign raw material and will have a heat resistance of 40 degrees, they only will can be used to
pour cold drinks.

In this way, it’s possible a change in benefit of environment if the plastic producers start projects
and researches to replace the traditional plastics by bioplastics, giving a lot of benefits to the
environment and to the next generations.