Corn plastics are popping up in lunch rooms, cafeterias, grocery stores and homes all across the country. Corn plastic is one of the latest weapons to fight against global warming, excess waste, and environmental problems currently plaguing the United States. In an effort to buy biodegradable plastic, most companies, schools and homeowners are turning to corn plastics. Corn plastic has its pluses and minuses and scientists are still trying to improve some of the features such as heat resistance, pliability, and cost.


Conventional plastic is oil based and emits many harmful greenhouse gases and severely harms the environment. Our oceans have become a wasteland of plastic garbage harming the precious balance of the ecosystem causing great harm to sea creatures, mammals and humans. Conventional plastic also takes up a staggering 10 percent of the nation's oil supply.

Corn plastics on the other hand are a carbon neutral bioplastic that can even be eaten. With consumers and businesses choosing to buy biodegradable plastic, corn plastic production has ramped up. To make corn plastic corn kernels are boiled down to the starch and then centrifuged to separate the oil and starch. It is then mixed with citric acid and other ingredients and is then mixed. The result is a long chain polymer, which is the building block of plastic. From there the polymers are used to make corn plastics of all shapes and sizes. Corn is the biggest crop in the U.S. and has now become that much more valuable to the environment and economy.

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