Alternatives to single-use plastics
Written by Victoria Johnston on 22nd October 2018
In Bali, Indonesia, surfer and inventor Kevin Kamala has founded a social enterprise making alternatives to plastic packaging and single-use plastics using natural products.
Bali is a tropical island paradise, with its pristine white sands beaches, but much of its shoreline is now becoming saturated with plastic rubbish.
Kamala decided to get to work on developing less harmful alternatives and established social enterprise Avani to market and sell his products, which are made from 100 per cent renewable, natural resources such as cornstarch, sunflower and sugarcane.
The most popular of Kamala’s products is a compostable ‘bioplastic’ bag made from the starch of cassava, which is a root vegetable that is commonly grown across the region.
The bags look and perform like plastic. However, they begin to degrade after about six months. The company uses eco-friendly, non-toxic inks and – according to Kamala – can even be eaten safely by marine animals, in the event that the bags find their way into the ocean.
“Frustration is the mother of invention,” according to Kamala. He says “I’m a doer, not a dreamer, and my mission is to reduce global plastic consumption.”
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