Plastic ID

Different plastics can have many different physical properties. They can be hard, soft, coloured, see-through, microwavable, waterproof, absorbent or flexible. Yet, all plastics have a few common properties. Plastics are all light, durable, and cheap to produce – often as a by-product from fossil fuels.

Did you know? One of the first man-made plastics was invented in 1868 by John Wesley Hyatt as a substitute for ivory, which was used to make billiard balls.

But not all plastics are man-made. Animal horns are a natural plastic. You can also make another type of plastic by mixing vinegar and milk and hardening it with formaldehyde. There are also man-made plastics that don’t originate from fossil fuels, called bio-plastics.

No matter where it come from though, the fact that plastic is so durable is also what makes it such a big environmental problem. Plastic can break into smaller and smaller pieces but it takes a very long time to break down chemically.

Some plastics degrade and just break up into very small pieces while others biodegrade through the help of organisms. Often, before it breaks down, many animals either get tangled up in plastic or mistake it for food and eat it, which can be very dangerous. Once inside the stomach, plastic can release toxins and poison the animal so it’s very important to handle plastic properly.

Learn more about the lifecycle of plastic items here.

Did you know? One of the first man-made plastics was invented in 1868 by John Wesley Hyatt as a substitute for ivory, which was used to make billiard balls.

But not all plastics are man-made. Animal horns are a natural plastic. You can also make another type of plastic by mixing vinegar and milk and hardening it with formaldehyde.

There are also man-made plastics that don’t originate from fossil fuels, called bio-plastics.

No matter where it come from though, the fact that plastic is so durable is also what makes it such a big environmental problem.

Plastic can break into smaller and smaller pieces but it takes a very long time to break down chemically. Some plastics degrade and just break up into very small pieces while others biodegrade through the help of organisms.

Often, before it breaks down, many animals either get tangled up in plastic or mistake it for food and eat it, which can be very dangerous.

Once inside the stomach, plastic can release toxins and poison the animal. So, it’s very important to handle plastic properly.

Learn more about the lifecycle of plastic items.

Pick a piece of plastic that is leaving your house (an item of food packaging is a good choice). Head on a research mission to find out its PIC number and plot its plastic life cycle.

Things to find out

• What type of plastic is it?
• How many times has it been used?
• Can it be recycled? How/why not?

Using pictures and arrows, turn this into a visual life cycle map to show the journey the plastic item will take over its life.

How does the life cycle change if you dispose of it differently? Map out the pathways that would happen if you:

• throw it outside
• throw it in the waste bin
• recycle it
• reuse it
• repurpose it.

What would we do if we didn’t have plastic? What alternatives would there be for the items on your list? What would that world look like!

In this challenge, invent a new product to replace one of the plastic items in your house. You could draw it or make a model using LEGO, cardboard or even cleaned, recycled plastic to turn your idea into a prototype.

You can ask:

• what alternative material is the new invention made of?
• what does its lifecycle look like?

Scientists have found some mutated bacteria that can break down plastic. This has great potential to help solve some of the environmental issues caused by plastic.

What if this bacteria spreads, eating away all the plastic in our lives?

You can ask:

• what would change?
• what plastic would you most want to replace?

Draw a picture or write a story, a play or a song about living in that world. Include what your home would look like. What would the environment look like?

To help the natural environment, we can all use less plastic. We can also be aware of how to correctly dispose of different types of plastic.

Stop plastics from being thrown away into landfill by creating a campaign, like ‘Waste-free Wednesday’ or ‘Straw No More’. Create a catchy campaign poster and share with your family or even your class at school. Bonus points if you can make it out of recycled items!

You can ask:

• how do you think we could reuse our plastics?
• how else could we stop it from damaging the natural environment?