Sometimes a bright colored mug filled with warm coffee or tea is the only thing that brings a smile to your face at 6 am. Maybe your special mug has a sarcastic saying or a picture of your family, either way it's something that brings a smile to your face before you start your day. Collecting mugs can become an addictive habit. Before you know it, your cabinet is chock-full of printed mugs, colored mugs, vacation mugs, name mugs, motto mugs, etc. While this lovely collection cheers you up in the morning, eventually they will end up in a landfill, and that doesn't bring a smile to anyone's face. So what about stocking your cabinet with corn plastic mugs instead?

As with anything, there are always two sides to the story. Corn plastic mugs are microwavable safe, sturdy (can withstand up to 160 degrees), less costly, biodegradable and are made in the U.S. On the opposing side, there is potential for them to increase the cost of foods and decrease the amount of corn available to the population for food, in the event that corn ethanol is used to replace gasoline.

Corn plastic is made when the corn kernels are taken off of the cob and then soaked in a mixture of sulfur dioxide and water. This process enables the corn to release starch, which is then made into sugar. Finally, the sugar is fermented into lactic acid, which is the key ingredient used to make plastic. Corn plastic is being used for many items such as eating utensils, T-shirts, food packaging, plastic wrap and plastic dinnerware.

At this point, it's difficult to predict the future of corn ethanol, so without that in the picture, using corn plastic seems environmentally friendly. The plastic is made from a renewable source (although Mother Nature is dependent on the process), and it can be composted. Traditional plastic bags can take centuries to decompose, but corn plastic decomposes within a month.

Corn plastic seems like a viable option when assessing its advantages. With regard to the possible use of corn ethanol, it's questionable as to whether the U.S. can handle the potential demand for corn.