Guatemala has passed a law banning plastic dishes, straws and utensiles. They have a replacement now that is made of corn starch and is 100% biodegradeable. Within a month or so of being in a landfill it has broken down.
My one and only jury duty service was a federal lawsuit involving patent infringements on a corn starch based plastic. I didn't even know the technology existed at the time in the mid 90s. It was fascinating. To make matters better, federal jury duty pays quite handsomely :lol:. If that technology is in use in the US, it maintains a very low profile.