A technique developed by the Lorena School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo takes advantage of plastic wastes that are rarely recycled to produce plastic panels for automobiles, furniture and other uses. The researchers utilized commonly found waste that is usually ignored by informal waste collectors, such as the plastic film used for food packaging and plastic bags.

"We added natural fibers from sugar cane bagasse. The result of this mix is a material that is more biodegradable than conventional plastic panels," professor Adilson Gonçalves, coordinator of the research, told Tierramérica.

"This type of plastic is rarely recycled and represents close to five percent of municipal solid waste, causing negative impacts on sanitary landfills, since it is not biodegradable and makes the soil impermeable," he added.