Photos: Baking plastic from plants

Hewlett-Packard built this working prototype printer with a corn-based plastic case designed to last as long as the machine. However, bioplastics aren't ideal for many consumer goods.

"Obviously, you don't want your BlackBerry to start composting," Cereplast's Stephan Garden said.

In November, Cereplast launched a plastic resin designed for durable products. It mixes half plant and half petroleum ingredients. The hybrid plastic could be used in electronics, cosmetics cases, toys, or auto parts.

Cereplast says the costs of its bioplastics are competitive with those of petroleum, and could drop further if crude oil prices continue to rise. Furthermore, oil may take billions of years to form, 15 years to drill, and at least five centuries to dispose of. But crops for bioplastic are replenished seasonally and can return to the soil eventually.

Still, petroleum plastics are ubiquitous in contemporary life. They lurk in the most unlikely places, like fleece jackets, carpeting, and the linings of paper cups and plates.

Some 46,000 pieces of plastic trash swirl in every square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Program. And even when it breaks down into tiny bits, plastics don't disappear. Impossible for bacteria to eat, plastics could linger for a million years, according to some experts.

There is evidence that plastics are linked to some cancers and reproductive problems. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati reported this week that when heated, polycarbonate bottles leach bisphenol-A, which wreaks havoc on hormones.