Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.

) Schott) or Gabi, a member of the Araceae family, is an

ancient crop grown throughout the humid tropics for its edible corms and leaves, as well
as for its traditional uses which is a staple food in our own vicinity. Taro has been the
identity of Solsonians because of its sufficiency in our locality. It has high starch content,
is very nutritious and has many medicinal and non-medicinal uses since the beginning of
time. Pure Starch is a white, tasteless and odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water or
alcohol. It consists of two types of molecules; the linear and helical amylase and the branched
amyl pectin. Thus, it is the most suitable biodegradable agent.
Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental concerns at this time. Single-use
plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because there are cheap,
strong, lightweight and functional. However, plastics has toxic pollutants such as BPA and
polyethylene that damage the environment and cause land, water, and air pollution. It can take
hundreds or even thousands of years for plastic to break down, so the damage to the
environment is long-lasting. Worldwide we produce about 100 million tons of petroleum
plastic per year. Over 540 billion pounds of oil-based plastic are produced every year and to
make these plastics we use about 7 million barrels of oil per day. Therefore it is high time for
us to be environment friendly by promoting a biodegradable plastic for our everyday use.
The biodegradable plastic takes less time to decompose or breakdown after being
discarded, if they haven’t been recycled, of course, this means is that it gets absorbed
in the earth, and there will no longer be tons of plastic are dominating our landfills.
Recent studies indicate that starch grains from Taro can be a good source of
biodegradable plastics. Having this idea, the researcher thought of testing Taro as a
biodegradable plastic for single use disposables and packaging applications.

Single-use, plastic bags are very harm ful to the environment for various reasons. Plastic
production is extremely labor and resource intensive. Bags are often made from fossil fuels or
other non-renewable resources. They often are used for only a brief time and then discarded.
When discarded, plastic bags are often carried through the air and through waterways to the
ocean. In the ocean they get caught in gyres, big currents that trap the plastic.
The largest and most studied gyres are the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and the Great Pacific
Garbage patch. When bags, plastics, and other trash get stuck in these patches, they
photodegrade, meaning they break down into small toxins. Fish feed on the plastic thinking
that it is food. Since there are almost 48,000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean, it is
easy to understand why this is becoming an issue in fishing populations.
Plastic is made up of BPA and polyethylene, chemicals known to be harmful to humans. When
fish eat these, humans who eat fish are exposed to increasing levels of toxicity. Although there
is a need for plastic in society, single-use plastic is harmful to the environment, especially since
there are other means (canvas bags) to get the same task done.
Worldwide, many communities have banned plastic bags. Bhutan banned plastic bags as part
of their “Gross National Happiness” political philosophy. Ireland imposed a 22-cent fee on
plastic bags, allowing people to still have the option of using them. However the fee resulted
in a 90% reduction of plastic bag use.
In 2009, Tucson’s mayor and city council passed an ordinance requiring plastic bag donation
receptacles in most major grocers. In 2012, Ward 2 Councilman Paul Cunningham presented
research on plastic bag related taxes, fees, and bans in all major cities in the United States to
Mayor and Council. As a result, Tucson passed a five-point plan requiring the city to record
plastic bag usage and revisit the issue in two years and Tucson established the B.Y.O.Bag
Tucson campaign.

Gabi, or taro, is prized chiefly on account of its large corms, or underground stems, which may
be a staple food in some areas but in our own locality it is usually preferred as “Food for
the pigs” due to a property which is known to be harmful for human consumption when
not properly cooked. It has high starch content, is very nutritious and has many medicinal
and non-medicinal uses since the beginning of time. Pure Starch is a white, tasteless and
odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water or alcohol. It consists of two types of molecules;
the linear and helical amylase and the branched amyl pectin. Thus, it is the most suitable
biodegradable agent.
Plastic is all around us. It is useful, lightweight, durable, strong and relatively
inexpensive. In recent years there have been plastic issues causing downfalls in many
urban countries. Worldwide we produce about 100 million tons of petroleum plastic per
year. Most of this ends up in landfills, rivers, oceans, and lakes, where it pollutes the
ecosystems for hundreds of years. Over 540 billion pounds of oil-based plastic are
produced every year and to make these plastics we use about 7 million barrels of oil per
day. Plastics are not biodegradable because the polymer chains are too tight and large to be
broken down. Therefore it is significant to promote biodegradable plastics especially in our
time.
Even if the government or those so called experts say that we should eliminate the use
of plastics, the fact is we really cannot because of its versatility and let`s face it, it has become
a necessity, an accessory and even a form of advertisement for some businesses which helps
the economy to grow.

The biodegradable plastic takes less time to decompose after being thrown away. And may be
a mode from biomass if they have not been recycled, reducing the amount of plastics
dominating our landfills.
Biodegradable product needs less than half the energy to produce, than the non-biodegradable
counterparts. This means that it is possible to make twice the amount of biodegradable
packaging and biodegradable bags using the same amount of energy.
Biodegradable products are easier to recycle and this is created from materials that are fully
biodegradable. This means that they can breakdown much faster and recycling them take less
energy. Biodegradable products can be reused more efficiently, which gives them a clear
advantage.
Biodegradable product are completely safe and do not contains chemical or toxins. This
product harmlessly break down and get absorb into the earth. Advantages of bio-plastic
are of extreme importance.
Biodegradable product are created from domestic biomass material, so it reduces the
dependence foreign oil, providing a domestic solution. The advantages of biodegradable
product significant and of great importance for the future of the planet.
There has been recent research that indicates that biodegradable plastics can be produced by
adding starch grains from Taro. With these ideas the researcher though of testing Taro as an
Alternative source of Organic Plastic.