Plastic: A Modern Wonder

28 Plastic: A Modern Wonder Plastic is lightweight, strong, and inexpensive. It's one of the most popular materials discovered in the last half of the 20th century. Computers, modern automobiles, packages, and containers of every kind-these are just some of the products that have improved since the widespread use of plastic. When it first gained popularity in the 1950s, plastic was considered a “ miracle invention" . The new product promised to make life easier for the average person. Newspapers talked about the wonders of plastic. People marvelled at the thousands of plastic products that soon hit the market. But what is plastic? Plastic cannot be found in the natural environment. It is made from hydrocarbons found in oil and natural gas. The name for plastic comes from the Greek word plastikos, which means “ can be moulded into shapes" . This unique quality of plastic gives it an advantage over other materials.

Materials such as wood, steel, rubber and glass were previously used to do the things that plastic now does. However, none of these materials has the one property that makes plastic so versatile. Plastic can be poured into moulds while in a liquid state. When the liquid cools, it keeps the shape of the mould. Think of any shape that's possible to make using plastic. Imagine the possibilities! It's strong, yet lightweight. Moreover, it's waterproof and weather resistant. That's why many outdoor building products are now made of plastic. Underground water pipes do not rot if they're made of plastic. Imagine the cost savings with just this one small application. Before plastic, steel water pipes were buried under the earth. But the combination of steel and moist earth caused rust. Steel pipes lasted only a short time in the earth before they began to rot and leak. Plastic pipes, on the other hand, can stay buried for hundreds of years with no rust and no rot. However, the easy access and wide use of plastic products does raise an environmental concern. When plastic is thrown out as garbage into the environment, it takes at least fifty years to break down and degrade. Whether we like it or not, plastic is here to stay. So do your part and become plastic savvy.