Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be molded, extruded, or pressed into solid objects of various shapes.

Feb 25, 2025 · plastic, polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.

However, when plastic waste is mismanaged – not recycled, incinerated, or kept in sealed landfills – it becomes an environmental pollutant. One to two million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans yearly, affecting wildlife and ecosystems.

Feb 26, 2025 · Plastic pollution, harmful accumulation of synthetic plastic products in the environment. Plastics are persistent large-scale pollutants, and plastic debris (such as bottles, straws, containers, and plastic wrap) and particulates have been found in many environmental niches, from Mount Everest to the bottom of the sea.

Sep 23, 2024 · Plastics revolutionized medicine with life-saving devices, made space travel possible, lightened cars and jets—saving fuel and pollution—and saved lives with helmets, incubators, and equipment...

Apr 25, 2023 · Read our explainer to find out more about the plastic pollution crisis: Why is plastic pollution such a problem? Affordable, durable and flexible, plastic pervades modern life, appearing in everything from packaging to clothes to beauty products.

Nov 21, 2024 · Plastic products are generally versatile, durable and lightweight. Plastic products are prominent in the construction, transportation, and packaging industries. Plastic innovations contributed to many life-saving products that revolutionized the health care industry.

2 days ago · Additives might make a plastic stronger or more malleable, they might make it heat or fire resistant, or simply make it easier to work with during production. Those additives can change how easily a particular piece of plastic breaks down in the environment. And plastics do break down, recent research shows, through three main pathways.

Apr 23, 2024 · Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, raising concerns about potential harm to humans and nature alike. Once in the environment, research shows that plastic pollution is persistent and may take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.

Feb 17, 2025 · Plastic poses a serious threat to our oceans and waterways. Birds, turtles, fish, and other marine life ingest plastic pieces, mistaking them for fish eggs, plankton, jellyfish, or other food sources. Every year, hundreds of thousands of sea creatures, both large and small, die from complications relating to plastic debris – they may have a ...