The plural of plastic
-Natalie Martin, 3R Material Innovation Manager Plastic is a hot topic around the world these days, and so it should be. The terrible effects it has on the environment are undeniable, and there is evidence those effects are circling back to us. Plastic has also become something of the posterchild for society’s conspicuous over-consumption. But is plastic all bad? The short answer is actually, no. Plastic – first developed by British inventor Alexander Parkes in the early 1860s – was hailed as something of a miracle substance. Light, durable, easy to sterilise, cheap to make – the list of positive properties is impressive. Without plastic the world would be a very different place than it is today – simply consider how many things are made, at least in part, of plastic. It’s probably easier to think of how many things are not. It is of course some of those very same properties – namely its durability – which have made plastic an environmental disaster. Combine this with a single-use, throw away culture around plastic and there is a serious problem. But plastic is recyclable, isn’t it? Well it is, and it isn’t. This is because one of the biggest issues is plastic isn’t just one substance – it is in fact a complicated web of different types and grades, each with different properties and applications. Broadly speaking plastics fall into two groups – thermoplastics, which can be remoulded with heat, and thermoset which cannot and need other processes, such as the use of chemicals. The most commonly used plastics have been assigned identification numbers which identifies the plastic types. These range from 1 to 7 with category 7 being the ‘all other’ or mixed plastics. This is where recycling becomes complicated. As you might imagine thermoplastics are easier to recycle […]