Science

What are plastics?

Plastics are flexible, corrosion-resistant, semi-synthetic materials that are made of polymers.
These polymers are produced by linking together monomers, which are groups of atoms from chemicals or natural products.

While producing plastic, a variety of additives, including toxic substances like stiffeners, softeners, UV inhibitors, and more, are typically added to increase the flexibility and durability of the plastic material.
Bioplastics, which are plastics that come from biodegradable materials and renewable sources, can be compostable and break down into compounds that are natural elements (Atalay et al., 2018).
However, a lot of plastic is not biodegradable, and this is leading to major issues as plastic production continues to grow, with the world now producing more than 380 million metric tons of plastic each year (Ritchie, 2018).

Atalay, E., Parker, L., & Schultz, H. (2018, May 15). Plastics Explained, From A to Z. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plastics-explained

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2018, September 01). Plastic pollution. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution