Almost every product we buy is wrapped in plastic. It's cheap to manufacture and durable. And that's the problem. It's too durable. Once disposed of, it can take hundreds of years to break down.

A new type of plastic devised by CSIRO's Dr. Malcolm Jenkins, and the CRC for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science is made from an unlikely source….wheat.

"We are using wheat in our formulation because it's a low cost resource that's renewable and it's a material that Australian has plenty of."

The component of wheat that's being used to make the plastic is starch. The wheat starch is mixed with other ingredients then heated and extruded into long spaghetti like rods before being broken into pellets. The pellets are then forced out through a ring shaped hole to form a tube which is inflated with air to the required size.

The result is a polymer or plastic, which has similar properties to conventional plastic.

"This product has been sitting on my shelf for over a year and you can see that its still very acceptable but the moment I throw this into the compost heap it will disappear within 40 to 50 days."

Not only does the biodegradable plastic quickly break down once discarded, it's made from Australia's biggest cereal crop and it won't contaminate any food it holds.

"Down the line, conceivably you could eat the wrapper after you've eaten the product it contained."

CSIRO Enquiries
Email: Enquiries@csiro.au
Phone: 1300 363 400
Locked Bag 10
Clayton South
VIC 3169