It seems like more and more companies are spinning corn into plastic. The resulting bioplastics are supposedly biodegradable and made of polylactic acid, or PLA.

But most of these fairytale plastics appear to have a secret dark side. If not disposed of correctly – which involves taking them to special industrial sites where they are treated like compost, they may not biodegrade faster than any regular plastic bottle. So putting them in the trashcan is a no, and recycling them only becomes a nuisance at recycling centers that have no place for such materials.

Plus, most industrial grown corn requires loads of insecticide, herbicide and nitrogen fertilizer – which can lead to soil erosion and water pollution. And corn production has hiked up food, land and animal feed costs.

Enter Plantic, an Australian company that claims to differ from the bioplastics that really don’t biodegrade (because no one knows what to do with them).

Plantic doesn’t even call its products PLAs. According to Plantic, it "has achieved a unique place in the world market for bioplastics through patented technology that delivers a completely biodegradable and organic alternative to conventional plastics based on corn, which is not genetically modified. Unlike other bioplastics companies who utilise organic materials but whose polymers are still developed in refineries, Plantic's polymer as well as its raw material, are grown in a field."

The company states that its products are certified home compostable, certified biodegradable and certified for disposal in wastewater all to European standards. I’m not sure how that compares to U.S. standards, but I’m curious to see how it fares in the market, and in the landfills.

Cadbury Schweppes recently announced that it plans to use Plantic products as wrappers for the company’s candy bars. Perhaps the Easter Bunny can now be environmentally friendly.