ALTERNATIVE TO PLASTIC

The word plasticis derived from the Greek (plastikos) meaning capable of being shaped or molded.

Plastics are arrange of synthetic or semi-synthetic polymerization products that can be molded into a permanent object having the property of plasticity.

INTRODUCTION

Properties of Plastics

Resistant Durable Insulator Inexpensive

Easy to produce

About 100 million tones of plastic is produced each year.

Most plastics contain organic polymers. The vast majority of these polymers are based on chains of carbon atoms alone or with oxygen, sulfur, or nitrogen as well.

Most plastics contain Additives (0 to 50%). The average content of additives is 20% by weight of the polymer.

Fillers are used to improve performance and to reduce costs.

Stabilizers like fire retardants are used to lower the flammability of the material.

COMPOSITIONCOMPOSITION

Plastics that are made up of polymers having only aliphatic (linear) C atoms in their backbone chains. Ex-polypropylene

Plastics that are made up of hetero chain polymers contain O, N, S in their backbone chains, in addition to C. Ex –polycarbonate

COMPOSITION

Polypropene

Polycarbonate

CLASSIFICATION

Thermoplastic

•Plastics that do not undergo chemical change in their composition when heated and can be molded again and again.

Thermosetting

•Thermosets are permanently "set" once they're initially formed and can't be melted.

Thermosetting80% of the plastics produced are thermoplastics and of these Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene and Polyvinylchoride(PVC) are most

commonly used (70%)

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic Uses includes plastic wrap, food containers, lighting panels, garden hoses, and the constantly encountered

plastic bag.

REACTION ON HEATING

Plastics Release Pollutants: •Poly brominated di-phenyl ethers (PBDE) •Nonylphenolls •Bisphenol A •Phthalates Plastics Absorb Hydrophobic

Pollutants: •Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) •Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloro ethane (DDT) •Dichloro Diphenyl Dichloro ethylene (DDE)

POLLUTANTS FROM PLASTICS

PVC when burned result in emissions of the deadly poisons named dioxin.

Dioxins are highly persistent compounds, with the potential to become increasingly concentrated in living tissues as they move up the food chain. It

is often considered to be the man-made compound most toxic to animals.

We currently recover only 5% of the plastics we produce.

Pollution exists today due to the society's lack of environmental awareness & the ease of simply littering plastics.

WHY IS THERE PLASTIC POLLUTION??

The species that is most affected is the marine, aquatic population.

To a sea turtle, a floating plastic baglooks like a jellyfish.

When they eat these plastics, it clogs their intestines, and they miss out on vital nutrients,and ultimately the turtles starve to death.

Other types of loose plastics entangle birds, fish and mammals, making it difficult, if not impossible to move or eat, which too leads to their ultimate demise.

WHO IS AFFECTED??

0.05% of plastic pieces from surface waters are pellets

They comprise about 70% of the plastic eaten by seabirds.

These plastic particles have been found in the stomachs of 63 of the world's approximately 250 species of seabirds.

Birds and other marine animals gets trapped in plastic shopping bags, which suffocate them to death.

WHO IS AFFECTED??

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That's over 1 million plastic bags used per minute.

Scientists estimate that every square mile of ocean contains about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.

PLASTICS > STATISTICS

At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of plastic marine debris.

Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down.

Only 14% of plastic water bottles are recycled.

Packaging now accounts for 1/3 of all household waste..

PLASTICS > STATISTICS

By 2012, India is also projected to be the third largest consumer market for plastic goods with a consumption of 12.5 million tonnes per annum, behind US and China.

STATISTICS

The per capita consumption of plastic in the country is 10.2 kg in 2012.It is expected to go up to 12 kg by 2014.

PERCENTAGE OF PLASTICS USED IN DIFFERENT FIELDS

PLASTIC BAG STATISTICS

Total number of plastic bags used worldwide annually 1 trillion

Total number of plastic bags China consumes everyday 3 billion

Total number of plastic bags used every minute 1 million

Total number of years it takes for a plastic bag to degrade 1,000 years

Total amount of plastic bags that were discarded in 2008 3.5 million tonsTotal amount of plastic floating in every square mile of ocean 46,000 piecesAverage plastic bags consumed per family in 4 trips to the grocery store 60

Percent of plastic made every year that will end up in the ocean 10%

Percent of household waste that is plastic 11%

When we eat or drink things stored in plastic, plastic is incorporated into us Plastic is one of the few chemical materials which pose environmental

problem. Plastic is biologically quite inert, hence regarded to be more an aesthetic

nuisance than a hazard. Plastic is cheap, it gets discarded easily, and, its persistence in the

environment can do great harm. It causes immune and enzyme disorders, hormonal disruption leading to

endocrinal disorders and even infertility and is also considered as carcinogenic (cancer).

Not only human health, it dangerously effects other animal life and alters the environmental (air, water and soil) sustainability causing hazardous pollution.

SOME FACTS ABOUT PLASTIC

Plastic is accumulating at an alarming rate in our oceans -wreaking havoc on wildlife, polluting our beaches and entering our food chain.

Our addiction to use-and-toss items is causing this growing problem.

Plastic bags pose a serious danger to birds and marine animals that often mistake them for food.

Thousands of marine animals and more than1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution.

HOW DOES PLASTIC IMPACT OCEAN

Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives because it is convenient and relatively inexpensive.

Its convenience comes from being lightweight and its ability to absorb impact shock without breaking.

Plastics are so versatile in use that their impacts on environment are extremely wide ranging, posing serious challenge for disposal.

IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT

Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives because it is convenient and relatively inexpensive.Its convenience comes from being lightweight and its ability to absorb impact shock without breaking.Plastics are so versatile in use that their impacts on environment are extremely wide ranging, posing serious challenge for disposal.

DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC BOTTLES

DISADVANTA

GES

HARD TO DECOMP

OSE

THREAT TO

ANIMALS

TOXIC

DIFFICULT TO

RECYCLE

HARD TO USE

NON-RENEWABLE

Plastic bags, once ingested,

cannot be digested or

passed by an animal so it stays in the

gut. Plastic in an animal’s gut

can prevent food digestion

and can lead to a very slow and painful death.

DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC BOTTLES

Glass bottles can be melted and easily reused, as can tin cans. Recycling plastic is not so simple.

Water bottles are often reused in the home but become less and less sturdy over time and are

ultimately thrown away.

Plastic is manufactured using oil by-products and natural gas, materials that could be used in

numerous other applications or conserved were plastic usage lower.

GLASS and CERAMIC STAINLESS STEEL OTHER METALS ANIMAL-DERIVED PLANT-DERIVED WOOD KHADI

PLASTIC ALTERNATIVES

•Plastic bags take between 15 to 1000 years to degrade.

•The de toxins and other chemical pollutants released from them are a Serious Threat to be Tackled.

•Paper , Cloth, Jute, Cane, etc., are the most preferable but still controversial.

ALTERNATIVES

Designing eco-friendly, biodegradable plastics is the need of the hour. Though partially biodegradable plastics have been developed and

used, completely biodegradable plastics based on renewable starch rather than petrochemicals have only recently been developed and

are in the early stages of commercialization.

It's impossible to eliminate most plastic from daily life, but it's prudent for our health & environment to curb the use of some.

Proper management for disposal and public awareness would bring a great difference in present situation.

Overall reduction in plastic usage.

Hand over plastics properly for recycling or disposal.

Do not let plastic litter the environment.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY

PLASTICAct NOW …. SAVE EARTH

5R’S FOR PLASTICS!!

AVOIDREDUCEREUSE

RECYCLERECOVER

TREATMENTDISPOSE

REFUSE

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

REBUY

Extrusio

n

• PIPES• TUBE

SInjection

Moulding

• MISCELLANEOUSBlo

w Moulding

• BOTTLESFilm

Moulding

• BAGS• SHEE

TS

PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

SORTING

COLLECTION

INDUSTRIAL

WASTE

AGRICULTURAL

WASTE

MUNICIPAL

WASTECOMMERCIAL

WASTE

CLEANING

Disposing of plastic waste is trickier than dealing with traditional landfill material.

Not only plastic take thousands of years to break down, it can leach dangerous poison into the environment.

Plastic is not going away, but how plastic waste is managed is becoming more sophisticated.

Managing plastic waste starts at home with the consumer, but ultimately depends on governments around the world as well.

PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

Say NO to plastic check-out bags whilst shopping and buy reusable bags or bring your own for your shopping instead.

WHAT WE CAN DO??

Use Glass/Ceramic instead of plastic in Microwave.

Replace plastic travel mugs with stainless steel for hot beverages.

When you can’t avoid plastic, check container bottoms for recycling codes (in triangle with chasing arrows). Choose those easily recycled.

Shop at the local farmer’s markets. Buy the can instead of the plastic bottle .

The amount of oil needed to produce a years worth of plastic packaging could fuel 480,000 cars for a year

The two best changes we can do are:

◦ Use less plastics◦ To reuse plastics when possible.

Lead by exampleAsk your friends and family to

join youSpeak to city councilWrite letters to government

officialsGet your school involved

WHAT WE CAN DO??

By using ONE reusable cloth bag, we can save up to 6 plastic bags a week that translates into 24 bags a month or 288 bags a year that amounts to 22,176 bags in an average lifetime.

BRING YOUR OWN• WATER BOTTLE

(stainless steel)• BAG• CUP• TUPPERWARE• SILVERWEAR• REUSE A GLASS JAR

•Enormous quantities of plastic are produced and used.

•It is convenient (use and throw away).

•Although some plastics are recyclable, not enough is recycled.

•Laws, economical measures and education help.

CONCLUSION

Should we really put our own selfish needs before the needs of everything around us now and the lives of future generations? As a responsible citizen we must take precautions while using plastic products, reduce the consumption, and encourage others to do the same.

Think…. Respond…. & Act NOW SAVE EARTH