Local Company Produce 500 Tons of Plastic Bags From Cassava
19 October 2018 13:50 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Researchers from PT Inter Aneka Lestari Kimia, Asmuwahyu Saptoraharjo said the company is able to produce hundreds of tons of plastic per month, all made from cassave. The cassave-based plastic has brought Asmu to win LIPI Science Based Industrial Innovation Award in 2013.
“We can produce up to 500 tons of plastic bag per month from cassava,” said Asmu when contacted on Thursday, September 3.
The plastic bags, which contains 60 percent of cassava, are easier to degrade. It takes 40 days to degrade which is quicker than conventional plastic bags that need two to three months. It was found that cassava plastic bags are eaten by frog, snake or worms.
“We have studied the animals that had eaten our plastic and we send them to the Netherland to know wheter or not they are poisoned. The result was that they are healthy,” Asmu explained.
The price of cassava plastic bag, however, is twice as the price of conventional ones.
“Not many of retail companies in Indonesia using it because it is a bit expensive. But we have imported the plastic to India, Africa, and Madagascar.”
MITRA TARIGAN