Hunt_Matrix2

(Collage photo compiled via a google image search of “plastic”. Photos then merged on Photoshop)

__Introduction:__ America has had a very interesting relationship with plastic this past century. Plastic has undoubtedly saved lives, improved life expectancies (medical plastic applications), and has improved the standard of living. Yet, this chemical has recently appeared as a double edged sword as chemical toxicity issues with plastic have evolved and environmental issues with plastic disposal have become apparent. American use of plastic has exploded in the past 50 years as is apparent in some of the plastic facts supplied below. Humanity needs to re-think our relationship to plastic. For an accurate and complete history of plastic, see the following link: []

__What is Plastic?:__ 4 The term 'plastic' derives from the Greek 'plastikos', meaning fit for molding, and 'plastos', meaning molded. In line with this root etymology, and in the broadest sense, a plastic is a material that at some stage in its manufacture is able to be shaped by flow such that it can be extruded, molded, cast, spun, or applied as a coating. Plastics are synthetic materials created by linking together into polymers - i.e., polymerizing - molecules of monomer raw material derived from petroleum, natural gas or coal. Polymers alone rarely have the physical qualities to be of practical value, so most plastics contain various chemical additives to facilitate the manufacturing process or produce a particular desirable property, such as flexibility or toughness. Of the thousands of chemical additives, one type commonly added to plastics are 'plasticizers', which are softening agents making it easier for the polymer chains to move and be flexible. For example, the commonly used plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can contain up to 55% plasticizing additives by weight. These are generally phthalate chemicals. Phthalates are known to disrupt the endocrine system, have been linked to numerous health conditions including cancers, and some have been banned in Europe and the U.S. for use in certain products, such as toys. As such, additives are a key contributor to the negative health and environmental effects associated with plastics.

__Plastic Consumption Facts:__ 2,5 And some facts from a recent study by Wendy Graber and Erica Rowell from Duke University5:
 * According to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. In 2006, that number jumped to 28.3 gallons.
 * Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program.
 * More than 2.4 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2008. Although the amount of plastic bottles recycled in the U.S. has grown every year since 1990, the actual recycling rate remains steady at around 27 percent.
 * In 2007, more than 325 million pounds of wide-mouth plastic containers were recovered for recycling. (This included deli containers, yogurt cups, etc.)
 * In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics.
 * Plastics in the U.S. are made primarily (70 percent) from domestic natural gas.
 * Plastic bags and product wraps (known collectively as “plastic film”) are commonly recycled at the many collection programs offered through major grocery stores.
 * Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
 * During Keep America Beautiful’s 2008 Great American Cleanup, volunteers recovered and recycled 189,000,000 PET (plastic) bottles that littered highways, waterways and parks.
 * · U.S. GDP for plastics and rubber products in 1977: $16,900,000,000
 * U.S. GDP for plastics and rubber products in 2006: $71,400,000,000
 * U.S. GDP increase from 1977 to 2006: 420%
 * · Number of plastic bags used worldwide each year: 4,000,000,000,000 to 5,000,000,000,000
 * Amount of oil used annually to produce plastic bags: 17,200,000,000 to 21,500,000,000 gallons
 * How long this amount of oil would fuel the entire U.S. economy: about 20 to 25 days
 * Number of plastic bags used by Americans each year: 110,000,000,000
 * Amount of plastic bags recycled in the United States in 2006: 2%
 * Amount of plastic used worldwide every year just to bottle water: 1,500,000 to 2,700,000 tons
 * Number of plastic water bottles sold in the United States in 1997: 4,000,000,000
 * Number of plastic water bottles sold here in 2005: 26,000,000,000
 * Increase in plastic water bottles sold between 1997 and 2005: 650%
 * Number of water bottles recycled in the United States in 2004: 1 in 6
 * Number of Styrofoam cups Americans toss out every year: 25,000,000,000
 * How long those cups will last in a landfill: centuries

__Environmental Issues with Plastic:__1 The //United Nations// claims there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. A whopping 80% of plastics in the ocean originate from land. Captain Charles Moore, world expert on the garbage patches and founder of the //Algalita Marine Research Foundation//, explains that in some parts of the ocean, the ratio of plastic to plankton in the water is 10:1. Scientists find that 90% of the dead birds dissected from beaches have the human equivalent of a lunch bag full of plastic in their stomachs. The Eastern Garbage Patch (North Pacific Gyro) located in the Pacific Ocean, a 1000 miles from the USA mainland, is garbage gyre the size of Texas There are also intense plastic recycling issues. When a bottle is put in a recycling bin, people think that it will be shipped off and reused to make more plastic. Also, there are problems with the fact that many bottle caps/lids are not made of the same plastic as the rest of the bottle and only certain types of plastic can actually be recycled. Unfortunately, there is clearly inadequate plastic recycling infrastructure in most countries around the world.

__Substitutes for Plastic:6__ Websites and companies have sprung up to provide alternatives to plastic. Life Without Plastic is a site that provides lifestyle choices about how to separate from plastic. ([]) Additionally, scientists are exploring new biogenic materials that can assume the role of plastics. All these substitutes below can join together as applications as we move forward.
 * · Glass: Unlike plastic, which is made from fossil fuels, glass is made from sand. Not only is sand a renewable resource, it doesn't contain chemicals that can leach into your food or body, and it's easily recycled -- whether you throw bottles in your recycling bin to be turned into new bottles or reuse glass jars for storing leftovers. While it may break if dropped, at least glass won't melt in your microwave.
 * · PHP Biocomposites: A material made from bacteria shows potential as an emerging new "green," biodegradable plastic. The material is a modified form of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which is an energy and carbon source created by the natural biological fermentation process of many species of bacteria. Need more PHB? Feed sugar to certain types of bacteria and wait. What makes this material special is that while it's created by bacteria, it closely resembles man-made polypropylene. It is completely biodegradable without leaving behind residue. While it's still less flexible than petroleum-based plastics, it can be used in packaging, agriculture and biomedical products.
 * · Liquid wood: A promising new bioplastic, or biopolymer. Biopolymers fake it; these are materials that look, feel and act just like plastic but unlike petroleum-based plastic, they're biodegradable. In this case, liquid wood is made from pulp-based **lignin**, a renewable resource. To make biopolymers, lignin, a byproduct of paper mills, is mixed with water and exposed to high temperatures and high pressure to create a moldable composite material that's strong and nontoxic, making it a good plastic substitute. German researchers have used it to manufacture a variety of items including toys, golf tees and even hi-fi speaker boxes. Because it's made of wood, it can be recycled as wood, either broken into pieces and used as filler or burned.
 * · ECM Biofilms: While not a substitute for plastic, using ECM's additive as an ingredient (like adding dye to the mix) in polyolefin packaging and products renders those products biodegradable. Plastic manufactured with this additive is not sensitive to heat or light degradation, which gives it a long shelf life. It will, however, completely biodegrade into soil -- whether that's the landfill, your compost pile or the side of the road -- between 9 months and 5 years.
 * · Plant Based Celluloid: Polylactides (PLA) are plant-based, usually corn, plastics that have an edge over the real thing: They decompose within 47 days, won't emit toxic fumes when burned and manufacturing them uses 20 to 50 percent less fossil fuels than petroleum-based plastic [source: [|Nakazawa]].Corn-based plastics can be used to manufacture food storage containers as well as storage for consumer goods. If Walmart used 114 million PLA containers a year, company executives estimate they could save 800,000 barrels of oil each year [source: [|Royte]]. Cornstarch bags could replace petroleum-based plastic bags and decompose in the landfill or in your compost pile.While the theory is that PLA is carbon-neutral because it's derived from renewable plant starches, the reality right now may not necessarily be a perfect solution. PLA is often made from genetically modified corn, the growing of which raises environmental, human-health and economic concerns, and the end result may take longer than estimated to decompose.

__References:__ 1. [] 2. [] 3. "Plastic," Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic) (accessed 15 April 2010). 4. [] 5. [] 6. []