(bright music) - [Narrator] Plastics have become such an entrenched part of our lives but what exactly is plastic
and how was it made? Before plastic became so
ubiquitous, it underwent a transformation from being
a strictly natural product to being synthetically
and widely produced. Some of the earliest uses of plastic date as far back as 3,500 years ago when the Olmecs of Mexico used
naturally occurring plastics, sap from gum trees, to
create rubber balls. During the mid-19th and 20th centuries, synthetic plastics like
celluloid and Bakelite, made their debut and
were used for decades. On the molecular level,
plastics are made of polymers which are long flexible
chains of chemical compounds. This structure allows
plastics to be easily molded and shaped, especially,
under heat and pressure. Unlike the rubber used by the Olmecs, most of today's plastics are manmade and derived from fossil fuels. Crude oil and natural
gas are primary sources as they provide a cheap alternative to plastic made from plants. The first step in the
production of plastic is the extraction of
crude oil and natural gas from the ground. From there, the fossil
fuels are sent to refineries where they are converted
into several products including the building blocks of plastic, ethane from crude oil and
propane from natural gas. Ethane and propane are then
sent to a cracker plant to be cracked or broken
down into smaller molecules. Ethane produces ethylene and
propane becomes propylene. Next, a catalyst is mixed in which links the molecules together and
forms polymers called resins. This structure allows
plastics to be easily molded and shaped, especially,
under heat and pressure. Polymerization converts ethylene into the resin, polyethylene, and propylene into polypropylene. These resins are then melted,
cooled down and chopped up into preproduction plastic
pellets known as nurdles. Nurdles are later
transported to manufacturers who use heat to mold the
nurdles into different types of plastic products. Many of those products
actually feature information about their manufacturing process. Numbers called resin identification
codes are often featured indicating which chemicals
were used to make the plastic. Because of plastics utility,
it's global production has doubled about every decade. The amount of plastics produced since 1950 has measured at about 9.2 billion tons, the weight of nearly 1,600
Great Pyramids of Giza. Much of this plastic ends up as trash. Single-use plastic such
as straws, grocery bags and packaging products are,
particularly, detrimental. They often aren't recycled
and constitute about 40% of all plastic waste. They end up damaging natural
habitats, endangering wildlife and polluting communities
around the world. Moving forward, a great way we can counter this plastic pollution
is to reduce the amount of single-use plastics we use. By opting, instead, for
reusable alternatives in our day-to-day lives, each
person can make a huge impact in helping decrease plastic waste. For plastics that are already produced, other solutions are being explored. Scientists have discovered
that a few organisms are capable of breaking
down plastic material. Wax worms and mealworms, for
example, can devour plastics and turn them into compost. Another plastic-consuming
organism is a microbe which shrinks the time
plastic takes to degrade from hundreds of years to only a few days. Change is happening in the
production of plastics as well with some manufacturers turning back to plants for ingredients. Called biodegradable bioplastics, these materials are as
durable as synthetic plastics, come from renewable resources and can, therefore, biodegrade. Even the rubber tree, the
same plant used by the Olmecs, is, once again, being sourced for plastic. Today, the tree's latex is used to create a range of products such as all
natural latex rubber gloves, tires and mattresses. The rubber tree itself is now
part of a global initiative for the natural and sustainable
sourcing of plastic. Plastics can be found almost anywhere but by understanding its chemical makeup and our uses for it, we can
benefit from its versatility while also being mindful of
its impact on our planet. Take your pledge today to
reduce single-use plastics.
