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Why is plastic so bad, anyways?
Maybe you have heard about how plastic is bad for the environment, but do you really know why we should be avoiding it? We broke it down into bite-sized information to show you the importance of ditching plastic as a material you heavily rely on.
Issue #1: Plastics are made from raw materials like natural gas, oil or plants, which are refined into ethane and propane. Ethane and propane are then treated with heat in a process called “cracking” which turns them into ethylene and propylene. These materials are combined together to create different polymers, which go on to become plastic in products. The process of extracting raw, non-renewable resources is a major contributor to climate change, as well as the emissions associated with the refining of plastic.
Issue #2: Plastics break down, but they never truly biodegrade, meaning "to be decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms". Plastic simply turns into smaller plastics, now called "microplastics". Microplastics affect all animals, including humans and can cause a number of health issues among other things.
Issue #3: While many types of plastic are recyclable, recycled plastics must be mixed with virgin material to make them usable, but even then, they can only usually be recycled two or three times before their quality becomes too poor for use. This means that the solution to our plastic problem isn't recycling, as it isn't sustainable in the long term.
We are sure that many of you out there with your own facts and figures about plastic. Let us know in the comments what information you know about plastics and why should try out a #PlasticFreeJuly