As plastic comes in for much-deserved criticism for its deleterious effects on marine ecosystems, could an alternative be found lurking in the humble potato? Indian scientists have demonstrated that vegetable waste – potato peels and fruit skins – can be turned into strong packaging material.

The scientists at Tezpur University made ‘thin biopolymer films’ from potato and lime skins to store food items, according to research published in Ultrasonics Chemistry.