It starts with chicken-feather flowerpots...
I've seen a few articles like this one on Yahoo recently, about the possibility of making plastic from chicken feathers instead of petroleum. But this latest one says it's already begun to happen commercially.
The federal government has thrown its support behind such work. The research arms of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Nursery & Landscape Association are working together to find ways to use keratin resin from avian feathers in plastic manufacturing.
So a nice, natural activity like gardening may soon mean avoiding the leftovers of all that chicken slaughter. Or worse, finding out after the fact that you've put it in with your tomatoes all unknowing.
In fact, might we already be doing so this spring?
"What works in the lab and what works commercially are two different things," said Sonny Meyerhoeffer, whose company began selling flower pots made partially from feathers last fall.
His company has patented a process for removing keratin resin from feathers for use in making plastics. Keratin, a tough protein fiber also found in fingernails, hair and horns, can replace petroleum in some cases. Right now, Meyerhoeffer's company sells flower pots that contain 40 percent bioresins, although it has been able to make ones that are completely biodegradable and made from feathers.
"It still needs a little refining," he said. "We're a year, maybe a year and a half away from getting it perfected on a commercial scale."
Who have they been selling the pots to? Retail, or the nurseries that are going to sell us our seedlings for our gardens this spring?
Depending on how widespread it gets, it could really complicate your life. How well will it be labeled? Are you going to have to pass up perfectly good veg*n food because of its packaging? What will be in the components of your computer, phone, shoes and clothing?
Blah.
The federal government has thrown its support behind such work. The research arms of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Nursery & Landscape Association are working together to find ways to use keratin resin from avian feathers in plastic manufacturing.
So a nice, natural activity like gardening may soon mean avoiding the leftovers of all that chicken slaughter. Or worse, finding out after the fact that you've put it in with your tomatoes all unknowing.
In fact, might we already be doing so this spring?
"What works in the lab and what works commercially are two different things," said Sonny Meyerhoeffer, whose company began selling flower pots made partially from feathers last fall.
His company has patented a process for removing keratin resin from feathers for use in making plastics. Keratin, a tough protein fiber also found in fingernails, hair and horns, can replace petroleum in some cases. Right now, Meyerhoeffer's company sells flower pots that contain 40 percent bioresins, although it has been able to make ones that are completely biodegradable and made from feathers.
"It still needs a little refining," he said. "We're a year, maybe a year and a half away from getting it perfected on a commercial scale."
Who have they been selling the pots to? Retail, or the nurseries that are going to sell us our seedlings for our gardens this spring?
Depending on how widespread it gets, it could really complicate your life. How well will it be labeled? Are you going to have to pass up perfectly good veg*n food because of its packaging? What will be in the components of your computer, phone, shoes and clothing?
Blah.