It’s A Plastic World

Beyond Recycling

Did you use any plastic today?

Where does plastic come

from?

Lets find out more!

During the time of dinosaurs, swamps full of animals, peat and plant life were buried and began decomposing

The Path to Plastic

These were then buried

deep (10,000 feet) with layers of sediment

(broken down larger rocks)

Heat, time and pressure then turned

the organisms into fossil

fuels (petroleum)

Fossil Fuels?

• Release energy when burned• Eg. Coal, oil and natural gas• Meet 85% of our global

energy demands• Also known as petroleum or

crude oil

What do we use fossil fuels for today?

The products we use today are available because of a process that took millions of years ago

•Transportation

•Heating

•And PLASTIC!

The Process of Plastic

1.Petroleum is drilled and shipped through pipes to be made into ethane, propane and others

The Process of Plastic

2. With VERY HIGH heat, fuels are mixed with chemicals to create FLUFF

• The fluff looks like laundry detergent and can be packed into bales

The Process of Plastic

3. The fluff is melted with additives and made into little pellets.

The Process of Plastic

4. The pellets get shipped to factories where they melt and mold the pellets into plastic products. Other chemicals are added for colour and texture.

What usually happens to

plastic when we are done

using it?

Some can be recycled…

plastic recycling

Why should we recycle plastic?

• Reduce our fossil fuel use

• Reduce the chemicals needed to produce fluff

• Make pellets from used plastic materials

What happens to the plastic that doesn’t

get recycled?

Can the Earth decompose our plastic products?

No!

The earth can only decompose and reuse things that are natural, or from the earth

What happens to plastic that doesn’t get

recycled?• Plastic made from fossil fuels never

disappears, but breaks down (photo degrades) into smaller and smaller pieces.

• As the plastic breaks down, toxins and chemicals are released into the environment

• Plastic pellets, bags, toys, toothbrushes and more ends up on our land and in our oceans…

Lets see what really happens.. …

What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

• A slowly moving, spiral of currents called the North Pacific Gyre.

• Is like a plastic ‘soup’ 30 meters deep.

• Known as the worlds largest garbage dump.

Some beaches have garbage 5 to 10 feet deep

THINK– Did you know about the plastic island? How

do you feel about it?

Let’s THINKPAIRSHARE

PAIR

– Who do you think is responsible for this ocean waste?

– How can we contribute to the solution in our own lives and in our community?

– How can we inform people about plastic?

SHARE

What can we do?

Let’s hear more solutions from a Green Gorilla!!