An Introduction into Plastic

PLASTICS

Plastics are everywhere. Look at how dependent we have become on plastics and how integrated they are in our daily lives. We seem to be using plastics for almost everything! We use plastics for packaging, construction, plumbing, food storage, toys, containers, all types of bags, cartons, beverage bottles, food bottles and jars, medical equipment, tubing, cups, building insulation, disposable diapers, packaging tape, rope, clothing, and the list goes on and on. One thing almost certain is that plastic is not going to be easily removed from either our environment or our lives anytime soon. You’re probably asking yourself, if that’s a fact, why are we even talking about it? Live and let live. Why bother, right?

I am an optimist, and the simple answer is that everyone can do something to lessen the burden of plastic on our environment. There are almost 8 billion people inhabiting earth. Just imagine what we could do if even 25% of the world’s population began tweaking their habits just a bit to purchase/use a little less plastic in their daily routines and learned something about how to effectively dispose of and recycle plastics. With 2 billion people making a concerted effort to make some minor living adjustments we could make huge improvements to our planet. Look at the photographs in this presentation. Try to digest some of the frightening statistics you will read about plastics. Your eyes will not deceive you.  

As we shall see in this presentation and discussion, plastics, a non-biodegradable material which humans invented for disposal, has become a real hindrance not only to all living things on earth, but also to us humans! Plastics are derived from petroleum which is a non-renewable source. This is the ugly side of plastics which we have no choice but to address. It is going to take a lot of time and it is going to take a village to do this. A huge village!  

One good way to stem the production of plastic is to recycle plastic that has already been produced and use it to make new products. Plastic recycling has become more advanced in recent years and is always becoming more efficient. Fortunately, a lot of plastic can be remade into new products. Plastic waste recycling reduces our need for more fossil fuels, saves energy, landfill space, and emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

HOW WE GOT HERE.

SOME IMPORTANT DATES IN THE HISTORY OF PLASTICS:

1862 - British inventor Alexander Parkes made Parkesine, a cellulose-based plastic. Parkesine was able to be heated and molded into shapes that retained their shapes when the material cooled. Although this plastic was man made, it was formed from naturally occurring polymers.

1907 -  Leo Baekeland, a Belgium-born American, invented bakelite, the first truly  synthetic product (made of synthetic fibers).

1929–Synthetic products became popular and polystyrene was first made followed by polyester one year later.

1933 – polyvinylchloride(PVC) and polythene were invented.

1935 – nylon first invented.

World War II –we found many different uses for plastic, and it became very popular. Hundreds of thousands of different polymers were developed.  

1946 – Tupperware was first released and became a large part of the synthetic plastics market; the National Plastics Exhibition in New York City featured the different uses of plastics during World War II.

1953 – creation of high-density polyethylene which was hard to break down and looked like plastic grocery bags

1965 – Celloplast, a Swedish company, obtained a U.S. patent “tubing for packaging purposes,” which led to the creation of the plastic bag.

1979 – plastic bags for grocery are introduced in the U.S.

1980–Woodbury, New Jersey introduces the first curbside recycling campaign against litter and garbage disposal.

1990’s – plastic microbeads are used in the cosmetic industry increasing demand.

1997 – While sailing in the Pacific Ocean, Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2002–Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags

2007 – San Francisco becomes the first city in the U.S. to ban plastic bags.

2008 – Emergence of health issues pertaining to plastic.

2014 – The Netherlands becomes first country to ban cosmetic microbeads

https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution

Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2018) - "Plastic Pollution". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from:'https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution' [Online Resource

If you were going to the beach, would you hope to find something like these beaches?

‍

How would you feel about coming to the beach and seeing this?  

THE UGLY SIDE OF PLASTICS

Did you know that plastic can take hundreds of years to biodegrade? For some types of plastics, it may take between 500-1000 years to biodegrade. And even this may be a myth! Today, some research reveals plastic may never fully degrade but only break down into microplastics. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles which are ingested and retained by fish and marine animals. The microplastics will ultimately end up in the bodies of all creatures in the food chain including humans.

Plastic pollution is one of the main causes of marine species extinction, health problems for animals and humans, and destruction of our ecosystems. Microplastics have been found in drinking water, salt, beer, and in the soil. Plastic is carcinogenic and may cause developmental, neurological, reproductive, and immune disorders. Try keeping this in mind when you see plastics on the beaches and in the water.

CHECKOUT THESE FRIGHTENING FACTS AND STATISTICS ABOUT PLASTICS:

• In 1950, with a world population of 2.5 billion people, the entire world produced about 1.5- 2 million tons of plastics. By 2016, with a world population of 7billion people, the world had produced 7.8 billion tons of plastic, which is about one ton of plastic for every person alive today and as much as two-thirds of humanity’s total mass
• Today, the world generates 380-420 million tons of plastic waste each year, 60%of which winds up in our natural environment or landfills.
• 91% of all plastic that has ever been made is not recycled
• The world’s biggest contributor of plastic waste is the U.S.A., generating 46 million tons of plastic waste, almost twice as much as China, and more than all the countries in the European Union combined.
• Plastic pollution contributes to air pollution and global warming.  Each year plastic production in the U.S. generates 232 million metric tons of greenhouse gas, and at this rate is projected to outpace coal plants by 2030.
• Single-use plastics have an average useful life of 12-15 minutes and can take up to 500 years to disintegrate.
• Roughly 50% of global annual plastic production is for single-use plastics.

https://earth.org/plastic-pollution-statistics/

• Americans purchase about 50billion water bottles per year which averages 13water bottles per month for every American.
• One reusable water bottle can save156 single-use plastic bottles every year.
• Across the globe, we use 500billion plastic bottles each year: 1.4 billion plastic bottles every day, 1.3 million plastic bottles per minute.
• Coca-Cola produces almost 1 in 5 of those plastic bottles
• The world produces about 5trillion plastic bags each year.
• Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic bags each year which is equal to dumping 12 million barrels of crude oil.
• Americans use500 million drinking straws each day.
• The world uses 500 billion cups every year. Americans alone throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups each year.
• Each year more than 100,000marine animals die from plastic bag pollution, and more than 1 million seabirds die from pollution related to plastic.
• Each year we add 25 million tons of plastic to the ocean, of which 8 million tons are plastic bottles.
• There are more than 45,000individual pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean.
• § By 2050, continuing at our current pace, scientists are estimating there will be 937 million tons of plastic in the ocean, which will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
• Manufacturing process for plastic bottles relies on fossil fuels and approximately 17 million barrels of oil are used to produce new plastic bottles each year. This represents almost 8% of the world’s oil production, used to make plastic.  
• To produce one 500ml bottle of water requires approx. 125ml of oil.
• There are approximately 50 to 75 trillion pieces of microplastic in the ocean.

AND STILL MORE FACTS:

https://seedscientific.com/plastic-waste-statistics/

• Plastic waste is growing at an annual rate of 9%.
• Around 70,000microplastics are consumed by an average person each year.
• 75%of all plastic produced has become waste.
• 73%of all litter on beaches worldwide is plastic.
• About 91% of plastic is not recycled.
• Almost every piece of plastic ever made still exists in some shape or form, except for a small amount that has been incinerated

https://www.earthday.org/fact-sheet-single-use-plastics/

Harm to Wildlife: plastic items cause harm to animals not only when ingested but also by entanglement, suffocation, infections, and internal injuries.

WELCOME TO THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

THE GREATPACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH: Is a giant plastic island the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean and containing more than 80,000 tons of plastic.