1. It’s A Plastic World
Beyond Recycling

2. Did you use any plastic today?

3. Where does plastic come from?
Lets find out more!

4. The Path to Plastic
During the time of dinosaurs, swamps full of animals, peat and plant life were buried and began decomposing

5. These were then buried deep (10,000 feet) with layers of sediment (broken down larger rocks)

6. Heat, time and pressure then turned the organisms into fossil fuels (petroleum)

7. Fossil Fuels? Release energy when burned Eg. Coal, oil and natural gas
Meet 85% of our global energy demands
Also known as petroleum or crude oil

8. What do we use fossil fuels for today?
The products we use today are available because of a process that took millions of years ago
Transportation
Heating
And PLASTIC!

9. The Process of Plastic
1.Petroleum is drilled and shipped through pipes to be made into ethane, propane and others

10. The Process of Plastic
2. With VERY HIGH heat, fuels are mixed with chemicals to create FLUFF
The fluff looks like laundry detergent and can be packed into bales

11. The Process of Plastic
3. The fluff is melted with additives and made into little pellets.

12. The Process of Plastic
4. The pellets get shipped to factories where they melt and mold the pellets into plastic products. Other chemicals are added for colour and texture.

14. What usually happens to plastic when we are done using it?

15. Some can be recycled…

16. plastic recycling

17. Why should we recycle plastic?
Reduce our fossil fuel use
Reduce the chemicals needed to produce fluff
Make pellets from used plastic materials

18. What happens to the plastic that doesn’t get recycled?

19. Can the Earth decompose our plastic products?
No!
The earth can only decompose and reuse things that are natural, or from the earth

20. What happens to plastic that doesn’t get recycled?
Plastic made from fossil fuels never disappears, but breaks down (photo degrades) into smaller and smaller pieces.
As the plastic breaks down, toxins and chemicals are released into the environment
Plastic pellets, bags, toys, toothbrushes and more ends up on our land and in our oceans…

21. Lets see what really happens.. …

22. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
A slowly moving, spiral of currents called the North Pacific Gyre.
Is like a plastic ‘soup’ 30 meters deep.
Known as the worlds largest garbage dump.

25. Some beaches
have garbage
5 to 10 feet deep

26. THINK Did you know about the plastic island? How do you feel about it?
Let’s
THINK
PAIR
SHARE
THINK
Did you know about the plastic island? How do you feel about it?

27. PAIR Who do you think is responsible for this ocean waste?
How can we contribute to the solution in our own lives and in our community?
How can we inform people about plastic?

28. SHARE
What can we do?

29. Let’s hear more solutions from a Green Gorilla!!