Plastic

By: Anne Marie, Chloe, Jessie, Ellie, Beck and Riley

Purpose
Plastic: One of the world’s most vital materials

● What it is
● Where it goes
● Why it's bad
● How to fix our waste dilemma.
The History of Plastic
1869: Celluloid 1907: Bakelite

John W. Hyatt Leo Bakeland

In the 1920’s and 1930’s
Acrylics

PVC Nylons Polystyrene

1940’s
Polyethylene:
Growth of plastics in 1950’s and 1960’s
● Plastics grew along with the petrochemical industry,
because petrochemicals are the producer of raw
materials for plastic.

Source: “Plastic.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2006. Print.

1970’s and 1980’s
Our Consumption
● Average American ≈ 2.6 lbs per
day.
● Produce own weight in trash every
three months (Thompson).
● This year = weight of 7,000 Empire
State Buildings.
● Fill the Busch Stadium top to
bottom 2x/day.
● Plastic currently makes up ≈ 40%
of the world’s ocean surfaces.
● Plastics ≈ 8% of world’s oil usage (EIA).
● 75% waste is recyclable, only
recycle 30% of it (Thompson).
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
What Exactly is Plastic?
● Synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers.
● Plastic is made from 6 elements found around the world:
○ Carbon- found in fossil fuels
○ Sulfur- found in hot springs
○ Hydrogen- found in water
○ Oxygen- found in air
○ Nitrogen- found in the atmosphere
○ Chlorine- found in the salt in the ocean

Percent Composition?

● Varies for all plastics

(What Happens to All That Plastic?)
What are the Different Types of Plastic?
There are 6 main types of plastic:

● PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)- Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon.

● HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)- Carbon and Hydrogen.

● PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)- Carbon, Hydrogen and Chlorine.

● LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)- Carbon and Hydrogen.

● PP (Polypropylene)- Carbon and Hydrogen.

● PS (Polystyrene or Styrofoam)- Carbon and Hydrogen.

● Other Plastics (which are not typically recycled)- usually end up in landfills
 PP

PVC

PS PET

LDPE
HDPE

Others
What Happens to the Plastic in the Landfill?
● Only 6.5 percent of the 33.6 million tons of plastic used by Americans each
year is recycled.
● It takes 1000 years to fully decompose.

How does plastic decompose?

● Plastics are decomposed with bacteria or fungi just over a longer period of
time.

Source:

(What Happens to All That Plastic?)

The Lifecycle of Plastic
 Landfill
This is what death looks like for
plastic
Plastic
The ingredients for making plastic

● Plastic is a synthetic polymer. It is

made from hydrocarbon monomers,
meaning that it is from things
containing hydrogen or carbon.
● Fossil fuels.
● In addition to fossil fuels, plastics also
involve other monomers such as,
styrene, vinyl chloride, ethylene
glycol, terephthalic acid. These are
then linked together as polymers, or
chains of monomers.
● Other elements include oxygen,
chlorine, fluorine and nitrogen.
(Lifecycle of a Plastic Product)
Plastic Production
● Extrusion
● Injection Molding
● Blow Molding
● Rotational Molding
(Lifecycle of a Plastic
Product) (Lifecycle of a Plastic Product)
 Incinerator
This is what death looks like for
humans
Plastic When
Burned
● Chlorinated polyethylene
(CPE)
● Chlorinated polyvinyl
chloride (CPVC)
● Chlorosulfonated
polyethylene (CSPE)
● Polychloroprene (CR or
chloroprene rubber,
marketed under the brand
name of Neoprene)
● PVC
=
Upcycling
What is it?

Upcycling is when an unwanted product such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, tires,etc. are taken and
transformed into new products that are sometimes better quality or have higher value.

You may be familiar with three R’s; Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. But there are two new R’s: Refuse and
Repurpose.

Refuse: Say no to the things you don’t need, buy eco friendly items instead of ones that are harmful to
the environment.

Repurpose: This is the same as upcycling. It’s similar to Reuse, but instead of using it for
the same pur the same purpose, use it for a new one.
 Recycled Spoon Lamp
A Few Examples From Us! Materials:

Spoons
Water Bottle
Light

Shrink Plastic
Jewelry
Materials:

Plastic party plates

Toaster Oven
Wire

Plastic Night Light

Materials:

Plastic Dividers
Balloon
Light
Vase
How Does it Affect the World Today?
● The plastics that we have become accustomed to use in our lives has created
an unhealthy habit that is not sustainable for hundreds of more years.
● The development of plastics is a harmful process that emits hazardous
materials into the environment and atmosphere.
Solutions
How you can help!
➔ Invest in a reusable water bottle.
➔ Take plastics home to recycle them if
establishments have no recycling option.
➔ Avoid frozen foods due to excessive packaging.
➔ Always carry reusable bags on you.
➔ Line garbage can with biodegradable trash bags or
paper bags.
➔ No more single use coffee pods.
 Reusable Reusable Heavy

= Filtered
“Brita Bottle”
$8
= Duty Economy
Canvas Tote Bags
$2.49

Biodegradable Trash Bags

“Eco Smartbags” (Pack of 6)

= 13-Gallon, 24-Count Boxes

$38.50
 Works Cited
History

● “Plastic.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2006. Print.

Mathematics

● Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. “Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States.” February 2014. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. 7 December 2015 <http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/2012_msw_dat_tbls.pdf>
● Thompson, Derek. “2.6 Trillion Pounds of Garbage: Where Does the World’s Trash Go?” 7 June 2015. The Atlantic. 7 December 2015.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/26-trillion-pounds-of-garbage-where-does-the-worlds-trash-go/258234/>
● “How Much Oil is Used to Make Plastic?” 10 July 2015. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EPA). 7 December 2015.<http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=34&t=6>
● “11 Facts About Recycling.” 25 April 2015. Do Something.org 7 December 2015.<https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-recycling>
Chemistry 1

● “What Happens to All That Plastic?” colombia.edu. 31 Jan. 2012. State of the Planet. Nov 24.
2015.
● “Do you Know How Many Types of Plastics There Are? Green Frog. 8 Jan. 2013. Green Frog. 3 Dec. 2015
● Tim Davis “How Does Plastic Decompose?” n.d. HighLights Kids. 3 Dec. 2015
● Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica “Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)” n.d. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 3 Dec. 2015
● Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica “Polyethylene” n.d. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 3 Dec. 2015.
● Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica “Polypropylene” n.d. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 3 Dec. 2015.
Cheimistry 2

● “How plastic bottles are recycled.” Hants.gov. 9 Jul. 2014. Hantsweb. 24 Nov. 2015.
● RecycleNowCampaign. “Plastics-how are they recycled?” Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 22 Sep. 2015. Web. 24 Nov.
2015.
● VEA Australia. “How is Plastic Made?”. Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
● “Lifecycle of a Plastic Product.” americanchemistry.com. n.d. American Chemistry Council. Nov 24. 2015.
● “How Plastics Are Made.” americanchemistry.com. n.d. American Chemistry Council. Nov 24. 2015.
● “Dioxins & why you don’t what to be burning plastics.” plasticisrubbish.com. 2 Jun. 2008. Plastic Is Rubish. Nov 30. 2015.