The plastics industry is responsible for a significant amount of environmental damage to the world. Plastic used in toys is one of the biggest causes of pollution in the world. Even plastics that are actually recyclable are not necessarily biodegradable. The dangers of lead leaching into our soil and groundwater must be addressed. The benefits of plastics need to be at the forefront of any discussion about plastics. The disadvantages of using plastics need to be debated as well.
As I look back over the last twenty years, the advantages of plastics industry have always been a thing of great debate among environmentalists. Despite the gains made by environmentalists towards better environmental protection, the plastics industry continues to do its part by destroying the planet. They continue to make and use products that do not degrade on the environment the way they were intended to degrade. So the question remains, “Why are the plastics industry companies still making and using products that are detrimental to the planet?” We can only hope that the plastics industry will eventually decide to do what is right, even if it is at a great price to them.
One of the benefits of plastics has always been that they are biodegradable. How can they be biodegradable if they are never degraded? How can plastics be produced in such large quantities, if they cannot be degraded? The answer lies in the fact that most plastics are made out of two types of plastic, usually polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PVC is the synthetic version of the rubber. PET is the derivative form of the plastic that was previously used. It is easy to see that it will take decades to degrade as a result of being manufactured.
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