SPK - Plastic Essay Graded

Panyatree Kongkwanyuen

10R

Biology/Chemistry

Plastics Essay

Beijing BISS International School

School Code: 1123

Date Submitted: 12/3/12


Criterion D: Reflecting on the impact of science Level Descriptors Indicators 0 The student does not reach a standard

described by any of the descriptors below.

You outline how plastics are used and made, and list the advantages and disadvantages to using plastics over other materials. You confused the advantages with disadvantages with implications. You list an implication but do not describe in enough detail. Your use of language is not appropriate. Your essay is very difficult to read, you use first person pronouns consistently (I, we, they), your use of vocabulary and diagrams is confusing.

1 • The student is able to outline the ways in which science is applied and used to address a specific problem or issue • The student is able to outline the implications of the use of science and its application in solving a specific problem or issue interacting with a factor • The student attempts to apply scientific language to communicate his or her understanding but does so with limited effectiveness • The student makes little attempt to document sources. You have listed sources, but no intext

references and/or the formatting is incorrect. You state and describe some aspects of how plastics are used and made, and list the advantages and disadvantages to using plastics over other materials. You confused the advantages with disadvantages with implications. You mention one implication, but your essay does not provide evidence to support both sides of the equation. Your use of language is sometimes appropriate. Your grammar does interfere with your message quite often, you use first person pronouns (I, we, they), your use of vocabulary and diagrams is confusing.

2 • The student is able to identify the ways in which science is applied and used to address a specific problem or issue • The student is able to describe the implications of the use of science and its application in solving a specific problem or issue interacting with a Factor. • The student is able to apply scientific language to communicate his or her understanding but does not do so clearly or precisely • The student attempts to document sources correctly.

You have documented your sources in your works cited page, but have not included in text references and/or your formatting is incorrect. You describe how plastics are used, made and what the advantages and disadvantages to using plastics over other materials. You do not confuse the advantages with disadvantages with implications. You discuss one implication, but your essay does not provide evidence to support both sides of the equation/or your evidence is weak.

3 • The student is able to describe the ways in which science is applied and used to address a specific problem or issue • The student is able to discuss the implications of the use of science and its application in solving a specific problem or issue interacting with a factor • The student is able to apply scientific language to communicate his or her understanding clearly and precisely but does not do so consistently. • The student is able to document sources but does not always do so correctly.

Your use of language is mostly appropriate. Your grammar does interfere with your message, you used some first person pronouns (I, we, they), your use of vocabulary and diagrams does not always add your communication


You have documented your sources in your works cited page, but have not included in text references in all circumstances. There might be some formatting errors You explain how plastics are used, made and what the advantages and disadvantages to using plastics over other materials. You do not confuse the advantages with disadvantages with implications. You picked only one implication to talk about. Your present both sides of the issue and back up each side with evidence. It is very clear that you have looked at both sides of the issue. Your use of language is appropriate. Your grammar does not interfere too much with your message, you limited your use of first person pronouns (I, we, they), your vocabulary and use of diagrams add in delivering your message

4 • The student is able to explain the ways in which science is applied and used to address a specific problem or issue • The student is able to discuss and evaluate the implications of the use of science and its application in solving a specific problem or issue interacting with a factor • The student is able to consistently apply scientific language to communicate his or her understanding clearly and precisely • The student is able to document sources completely.

You have a complete work cited page and all in text references are present, including all diagrams used.


Are Plastics the Future?

Did you know that plastics were first used to make billiard balls in 1896? Plastic,

being versatile, light weight, and strong has benefited society many ways. (Advantages of

Plastic Materials, 2010) Certainly a ubiquitous object, plastic can be found in everything

from the toys that children play with to the satellites they launch into space. Plastics are

used in everyday objects for their cheap production and versatility, but plastics are still

not the perfect material because it has created many environmental problems. This essay

will discuss the characteristics of plastic, how it is made, and the environmental issue that

involves plastics.

Plastic are usually made from oil (raw materials). It is mixed with chemicals and

heated to create a clear liquid. Once the liquid is dried, it turns into a solid and cannot be

turned back into a liquid again. The raw materials are mixed in gas and chemicals. These

turn into a mixture called resin. This resin is made into granules (small pieces of a

material). The resin granules are heated and become liquid. The liquid resin can be made

into any shape. For colour, plastic makers add special chemicals to the liquid resin.

Molding or casting (pouring the liquid into a mold) can shape plastic. The resin cools

down and goes hard in the shape of the mold. Chemicals can help harden the plastic.

(Barber, 1997)

All plastics do not have the same properties, each plastic have different types

because of the different purposes. Some seal in moisture or seal out air more effectively

than others. Some are stronger, some lighter, and some easier to work with and some are

more economical than other plastics to process. (Baid, 2009) However, there are two

main types of plastics: thermoplastic and thermosetting. Thermoplastics are easily

renewable. Heating can melt thermoplastics. They can be melted down and create new

plastics. Examples of thermoplastics are: polyethylene (used for plastic bags, food

containers, and other packaging,) and acrylic (most commonly used for acrylic paint) On

the other hand, thermosetting plastics stay in shape and stays hard when heated. If they

are heated to higher temperature, they will burn. These plastics take longer to recycle.


Thermosetting plastics are used to make things like electrical fittings so they will not melt

when they get hot. Another great use for plastic is laminating. Layers of plastic can be

squashed onto other materials to make them stronger. With how much plastic can do,

there are definitely more advantages.

Using plastics is beneficial; recently they have been used as a cheaper alternative

for metal and wood. The production price of plastic is fairly cheap compared to the

production of wood and metal where wood is grown, harvested and cut and metal is

mined and forged. For plastics, only liquid chemicals are needed to create plastics. No

matter what type of metal or plastic materials there are, metals will always be more

expensive. For example the roofing copper costs $2.45/lb while polypropylene, a

thermoplastic polymer that replaces most of the metal materials, costs $.165/lb. (Scrap

Metals and Plastics International, 2012)

Another great benefit is the versatility of plastics. They can be molded into any

shape and by using different chemicals; they can be made for different purposes. Plastic

products are cheaper mainly because the materials are cheap.

Overall, these benefits have helped society in many ways. For example, plastics

have helped aeronautics technology take a huge leap forward over the past 50 years,

including advancements in satellites, shuttles, aircraft, and missiles. As a result, civilian air

travel has improved, as well as military air power and space exploration. In addition, the

building and construction, electronics, packaging, and transportation industries have all

benefited greatly from plastic. (The Benefits of Plastic, 2012)

With plenty of good reasons to use plastics, there are only little disadvantages.

However, these disadvantages are a greater threat to the environment and are equally

weighed with the benefits of plastics. Most plastics are not biodegradable. For

thermoplastics, they can be heated up and turned into new plastics again. The new

plastics will become non – recyclable products, such as T-shirts, or plastic lumber. This

means more new raw materials are needed to create more plastics that are recyclable.

The average plastic bottle takes 500 years to decompose. Though the rate of plastic

decomposition can be affected by different factors such as: the type of plastic, climate and


acids in landfill. When these plastics are degraded, they emit harmful Co2 and methane,

which is dangerous to both humans and animals. This has caused environmental

problems in our society.

Most plastics are made of crude oil; oil is a non-renewable resource, which means

that it will eventually be used up. The raw materials that will eventually be used up can

be used for other numerous things. (E.g. Natural gas can be used to heat houses and cook

food) but we are using them on making plastics more. Bio plastics have become an

alternative that does not depend on oil. One example of bio plastics is corn plastic, made

out of corn. Corn can be cultivated worldwide and so the market value will not depend

on oil-rich nations. The United States uses 20.8 million barrels of oil per day, 10 percent

of which goes solely to the production of conventional plastic such as polyethylene

terephthalate (PET) (CIA World Fact Book, 2010) Corn plastic, however, do not require

oil plus, they release less toxins and green house gases. (Lamb, No date) With such a great

alternative, why won't we all use such material? Because there are still some properties

that corn plastic lack. Firstly, corn plastic cannot be recycled together with conventional

plastics seeing that a relatively small amount of bio plastic can contaminate conventional

plastic recycling, preventing the reuse of conventional plastic. Secondly, corn plastic is

depending on industrial farming. The corn that is cultivated is for the people and animals.

Much of the corn that is used to make this plastic is food for animals. (Lamb, No date)

An environmental problem is one of the most significant problems associated with

plastics is the improper disposal of plastic goods by consumers. The use of plastics has

enabled the development of innumerable disposable products, which has increased the

amount of trash that is disposed. Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills

by volume, plastics account for 25% of all waste in landfills when buried. A significant

amount of plastic, however, is not properly disposed in landfills and makes its way into

the environment. (The Environmental Literacy Council – Plastics, 2008) As mentioned

before, plastic does not biodegrade quickly, thus staying in environment for a long time.

Plastic trash has made its way to coastal ecosystems and the ocean, causing danger to

marine and birdlife. Plastic debris can be found in many coastal areas (as well as inland);


however, one of the greatest concentrations of plastic trash is a Texas-sized floating

island of plastic debris in the north Pacific gyre, a collection of trash that has been swept

together by ocean currents. The ocean currents collect floating garbage along the way

and drops it in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, one of several major ocean vortices in

the world (below) Eventually, all the trash are packed into a convergence zone that links

two eastern and western garbage patches creating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

(McLendon, 2010)

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

McLendon, Russell. "What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch? | MNN - Mother Nature

Network." Environmental News and Information | MNN - Mother Nature Network. N.p., 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch>.

Nevertheless, plastic has become an important resource for industrial

development. We cannot just simply stop using plastics because it has continued to show

that it is a safe and reliable alternative to more traditional materials like wood and metal.

(Baid, 2009) Plastics certainly have many benefits but the environmental issues plastics

have caused have balanced out, whether we should continue to use plastics or not. In my

opinion, we should continue to research on effective and useful alternatives for plastics. If

they became an alternative for metal and wood, why can’t we find another alternative for

plastic?


Works Cited " - Plastic Marine Litter." Plastic Marine Litter - Plastics do not belong in the oceans. N.p., n.d.

Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.plasticmarinelitter.eu/problem-2>.

"Advantages of Plastic Materials ." AGL Group Ltd.. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.

<http://agl.groupbg.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39

&Itemid=57&lang=en>.

Amaral, Kimberly. "Plastics in Our Oceans." Home : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle.html>.

Baid, Pankaj. "Plastics Disadvantages & Recycling." Upload & Share PowerPoint presentations

and documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.slideshare.net/pankajbaid17/plastics-disadvantages-recycling>.

Barber, Nicola. "Plastics." Materials. London: Evans, 1997. 20. Print.

Brown, Lori. "Plastic Bags a Major Problem for Marine Wildlife - Earth911.com."

Earth911.com - Find Recycling Centers and Learn How To Recycle. N.p., n.d. Web. 22

Feb. 2012. <http://earth911.com/news/2009/04/16/plastic-bags-a-major-

problem-for-marine-wildlife/>.

Dorigo, Enrico. "Will Banning Plastic Bags Help The Environment?." Science 2.0 - Â® The

world's best scientists, the Internet's smartest readers.. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.science20.com/enrico_dorigo/will_banning_plastic_bags_help_en

vironment-75598>.

Lamb, Robert. "HowStuffWorks "What is corn plastic?"." HowStuffWorks "Science". N.p.,

n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/corn-

plastic.htm>.

Langley, Andrew. Everyday Materials PLASTIC. London: Crabtree Publishing Company,

2008. Print.

McLendon, Russell. "What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch? | MNN - Mother

Nature Network." Environmental News and Information | MNN - Mother Nature

Network. N.p., 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mnn.com/earth-

matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-

patch>.


"SCRAP METAL NEWS DAILY." SCRAP METALS AND PLASTICS

INTERNATIONAL. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

<http://scrapmetalsandplastics.com/default.aspx>.

"The Benefits of Plastic and Polymers in our society." Plastics Industry: Classifying Plastics -

Jobs and Employment - History of Plastic. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.plasticsindustry.com/plastics-benefits.asp>.

"The Environmental Literacy Council - Plastics." The Environmental Literacy Council. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1188.php>.

"The Environmental Literacy Council - Plastics." The Environmental Literacy Council. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.

<http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1188.php>.

"The World Fact Book - Oil Conspumption." Central Intelligence Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

Feb. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-

factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html>.

MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

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SPK - Plastic Essay Graded