"PLASTIC, CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT IT?" (part 1 of 3)

(Part 1 of 3)

It Is Just Everywhere.
Plastic is everywhere. At home, in the office, at school, in the street, in land, at sea, in the river, in the mountain, you name it, this material is present almost everywhere. Perhaps only in the air the presence of plastic is not obvious. It does not mean it is not present at all there, only the scene of plastics flying around in the air by itself is not common yet. But with more and more increasing use of it, who can guarantee it will not become a daily view also in the future? The presence of plastic has undoubtedly extended far into all sides of human life nowadays. From early childhood, through grow-up period, to aging time, the life of to-day’s human-being is surrounded by plastics. Household utensils, school & office equipment, health & hospital devices, vehicles, sporting goods and many other things, are made of plastic material. From daytime to nighttime, from wake-up to sleep, plastic is practically surrounding our lives everywhere.

Becoming one of world phenomena since it was invented about 140 years ago, the substance that owns the property characteristics of light, elastic, flexible, strong, resistant to corrosion, and long lasting, has changed the way we live. At the same time it has also changed the world and the face of earth in particular, following its increasing application in all kinds of man-required equipment. It has been very useful & helpful for human to conduct their activities. However, like the two sides of a knife, its property of hard to decay, very useful in one side, while when time to dispose comes, it presents a problem, a big, big environmental problem, causing big, big worries to many people on the earth.

Why We Should Be Alert. (This sub-chapter is rewritten from several sources)
The word plastic commonly refers to a synthetic material that made from petroleum. In another sense, it indicates the capability of a substance to change form. All plastics are produced by some methods of polymerization, the process of forming long chains of molecules. There are two major kinds of plastic, thermosetting resins and thermoplastic resins. The latter can be melted and solidified repeatedly, unlike the former. While petroleum is the major source of plastic, coal and cellulose are the other raw materials. Encyclopedia notes: “because of its property that can easily be manipulated, economic to manufacture, low gravity, and resistant to corrosion, plastic has replaced steel, wood, glass and other materials in many applications”.

Petroleum is refined through a process of fractional distillation. Components boil off at different temperatures as the oil is progressively heated. Through this distillation and condensation processes, plastics are produced at approximate portion of 4%. There are about two dozen important types of plastic, with many variations, each one with its own property, designed to meet the demand of its application. Some seal in moisture or seal out air better than the others. Its outstanding property of hard to decay makes it superior to other materials such as paper, cotton, or wood which are made of plants. No wonder if plastics then replace the other materials in making of household equipment; everything from shopping bag, nylon rope, food wrapper and container, drinking glass, plate, cup, cutlery's, to kitchen utensils. Toward the use of plastic as household utensils is where we must put our attention to. Its increasing use and careless disposal of its waste pose plastic as a real threat to the environment.