From Robert Checchio, Dunellen, New Jersey, US
While bamboo might be a possible candidate as a renewable source of plastic, I hope no one decides to start growing bamboo on their own in the hope of starting a lucrative business (18 October, p 15).
Its rapid growth rate, while adding to its attractiveness as a renewable source, is accompanied by a virtually unstoppable capability to spread via underground rhizomes, which can result in neighbouring property owners spending what seems like an eternity cutting the invading bamboo shoots. Sadly, I have learned this from personal experience.
