The Life Cycle of Plastic

Posted on Thu Mar 27 2008

By: Ianto Everett in Science & Technology

Share: Digg | Hugg | Del.icio.us | Reddit | Email

Plastic is involved in nearly every part of our lives, from our cars and appliances down to our toothbrushes and food - but how much do you really know about it?

The first man-made plastic was introduced to the world by Alexander Parkes at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. The material, which he had named Parkesine, could be molded into any shape when it was heated, and this made it a cheap alternative to rubber; and although Parkesine itself did not last, the idea did, and by the early 1900's inventors across the world were producing new kinds of plastic.

While these early plastics were made from organic materials, oil based plastics really transformed the fortunes of the material. After World War II plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), became standard materials in the manufacturing industries due to their high adaptability and cheap cost - but unless it has been melted or recycled, all the plastic products ever made, are of course, still in existence, rotting slowly on landfill sites all over the world.

Over 60 million tons of HDPE is produced and thrown away every year. Even though HDPE can be easily recycled, most of it still ends buried in waste pits. As well as the effect on the environment, plastic in landfills is also a health concern, as chemicals leach out of the plastics, entering the atmosphere, the ground, and water systems.

Recycling, of course, is becoming more common - and if you have ever wondered what happens to the milk jugs and margarine tubs you throw in the recycling bin, take a look at the website for Raw Polymers Ltd, a company that has been specializing in recycling plastics on a vast scale for over 20 years. Plastics sent to their reclamation plants pass through a series of sorting and cleaning stages to separate contaminants or other materials, the plastics are then sorted for color, and shredded into small pieces, with the end result being plastic granules, ready to be transformed back into new bottles, clothing, carpet or furniture.

Over 140 years since plastic was first introduced it has become both a vital part of our everyday lives, and a blight to the environment, but as recycling technology improves, so does the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of plastics.