Most plastics are synthetic solids composed of petroleum in long chains of polymer bonds. While carbon comprises the majority of plastic substances, making them by definition organic, many scientists are experimenting with a compound composed of polylactic acid, which is not only derived from the renewable sources of corn starch and sugarcanes, but is also biodegradable. With many environmental concerns present in the current international conversation about waste, this biodegradable characteristic provides an attractive quality to a plastic that has a wide variety of applications.