P l a s t i c 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 Nylons PVC 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 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. 75% waste is recyclable, only recycle 30% of it (Thompson). ●Plastics ≈ 8% of world’s oil usage (EIA).

(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

PET HDPE PVC LDPE PP Others PS