Research - plastic

Plastic is a synthetic material made from crude materials like coal or oil. The first plastic material made was made in the early 1900's and was called Bakelite.

Plastic can be made any colour, thickness, strength. Its versatility is the reason for its popularity and its use in many products and packaging. Each year over 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of it is single use. Single use plastics will be used for only a few minutes in most cases, but they will last for thousands of years.

Plastic does not decompose like most natural substances, instead it gets brittle over time and breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. It may break down into microplastics over time, but they still will never go away and will pollute rivers and oceans.

Because our world today is so dependent on plastics, for example in medicine the packaging for it is plastic because it is hygienic, or used with sterile syringes. It is also used to keep food fresher for longer. 

Plastics can also be found in unexpected places such as synthetic fibres in clothes that find their way into water after the clothes are washed.

The five most commonly used plastics:

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

- PET is commonly used for making soft drink and water bottles, salad trays, salad dressing containers, peanut butter containers, medicine jars, biscuit trays, rope, bean bags, and combs. 

Recycle symbol number 1: recycled into tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, fiber, and polar fleece.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

- HDPE products can be safely used for storing food and drinks and so it is used for shopping bags, freezer bags, milk bottles, ice cream containers, and juice bottles. It is also used for shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap bottles, detergents, bleaches, and agricultural pipes.

Recycle symbol number 2: recycled into pens, recycling containers, picnic tables, lumber, benches, fencing, and detergent bottles, to name a few.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

- PVC-U is used for plumbing pipes and fittings, wall cladding, roof sheeting, cosmetic containers, bottles, window frames, and door frames. PVC-P is commonly used for cable sheathing, blood bags, blood tubing, watch straps, garden hoses, and shoe soles.

Recycle symbol number 3: recycled into paneling, flooring, speed bumps, decks, and roadway gutters.

Polypropylene (PP)

- Polypropylene is used to make dip bottles and ice cream tubs, margarine tubs, potato chip bags, straws, microwave meal trays, kettles, garden furniture, lunch boxes, prescription bottles, and blue packing tape.

Recycle symbol number 5: recycled into brooms, auto battery cases, bins, pallets, signal lights, ice scrapers, and bicycle racks.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

- This translucent plastic is mainly used for plastic food wrap, garbage bags, sandwich bags, squeeze bottles, black irrigation tubes, garbage bins, and plastic grocery bags. 

Recycle symbol number 4: recycled into compost bins, paneling, trash can liners and cans, floor tiles, and shipping envelopes.