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| The Blob. Paramount, 1958 |
Plastic is the common name for a variety of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic polymers derived from hydrocarbons — oil.
There are six main types of plastic as represented by the numbered recycling symbol that you see under the bottom of many plastic containers.
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| Plastic resin codes. Source: pacia.org.au |
Where does plastic go?
In landfill, the relatively stable, anaerobic conditions preserve it for a long time (500—1000 years).
In the ocean, ultraviolet light, mechanical destruction and ingestion by wildlife breaks it down into micro particles that are further distributed into the environment — eaten by micro organisms, fish, birds and humans.
Anywhere from 5% to 25% of plastic is diverted through the recycling stream which reprocesses it into items of lesser value until it eventually goes to landfill or the ocean.
Unlike metals or glass, plastic does not go round and round the consumption cycle continually being used as raw material for reprocessing — This is the greatest myth about plastic that we need to dispel.
There are so many infographics on this and many alarmist articles that I'm having trouble finding original sources. I will update this with more detail as soon as I can ... please stay tuned.
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| CSIRO: Almost all seabirds to have plastic in gut by 2050: more |
I was camping in africa and the guide started burning the plastic our food came in, after a meal.
ReplyDeleteI protested.
He clarified that apart frm getiing rid of food cvraps in an area full of predators, the equation was
C2 H4 + 2 O2 gives you 2CO2 + H2O (+energy).
Carbon dioxide and steam.
That's a very simplistic equation (and possibly i dont remeber it exactly) but I think he won that one.
Hmmm... may solve the Hyena problem but I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the fire as the toxic fumes may kill you anyway - bad idea. The stuff was carried in, why couldn't it be carried out?
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