Where does plastic come from?
Plastic is all around us! Often we think of plastics as containers like drink bottles, yogurt cups, or soap dispensers. But many more things are made with plastic, too! Most computers use plastic, furniture pieces like chairs are often made from plastic, and even lots of cars are made with plastic!
Because they're lightweight, easily molded into shapes or dyed into colors, and strong, plastics are a good choice for lots of different needs. They also last a long time and are less likely than many other materials to corrode (weaken) when they come into contact with certain substances.
Plastic is a man-made product that doesn't occur naturally on its own. Almost all plastics are made from oil by a special procedure that changes the oil's carbon. Carbon is an element, and oil naturally has lots of them. (Even though they're too small for you to see.)
While plastic has many benefits, one frequently cited problem with this useful material is that it's usually not biodegradable (able to naturally decompose) and so if it's thrown away instead of recycled, it can create a lot of waste. To help with the problem, lots of recycling programs have become easily available and many scientists and researchers are looking for ways to make plastics more biodegradable.
by Brian Griffin (Whyzz writer)
Exploration
Be green with your plastic!
Do you have a plastic recycling system in your home? If not, ask a grown-up if you can make one! It can be as simple as creating a new recycling spot with a special separate bin next to the trash can, so it's easy for everyone to recycle instead of throw away!Aside from a special recycling spot in the house, what are some other ways you can think of to cut down on waste? For example, you could try bringing some shopping bags back to the grocery store to reuse instead of taking new ones! (If you do this every week, think of how many bags you'll save!) You can also try carrying a washable water bottle instead of using a new one every day! What other ideas do you have?
Further Information
On average, every person uses 130 plastic bags per year. Plastic bags are very harmful to the environment because plastic doesn't decompose and is a big part of our landfill.