Talk:Plastic

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Plastic Woo

This page needs a section about plasctic woo, which might come in two ways: - Chemical industry denialism about toxicity or environmental damage of their products (microplastic denialism?) - Cranky arguments from anti-plastic groups or individuals

Btw, which pipes are better: Lead or PVC? ^{— Unsigned, by: 37.35.151.150 / talk / contribs}

Synthetic fabric

Does it come with the downsides of plastic waste? You notice a lot of fabric is polyester and whatnot (and it's also dyed), derived from petroleum, so this includes plush toys and such. --It's-a me, LeftyGreenMario! 00:44, 25 February 2022 (UTC)

Polyesters are not, generally, biodegradable; there are some exceptions. Fabrics also have a tendency to shed fibers. 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝑒 ^talk 01:28, 25 February 2022 (UTC)

I see. Since there's a reliance on polyester fabric as there is for plastic, would it be useful and relevant to bring up this issue in tandem with the promises to cut plastic consumption? --It's-a me, LeftyGreenMario! 05:45, 25 February 2022 (UTC)

"Reducing Plastic" Section

This while section is fucking awful and doesn't match the section title. Instead of being about actually reducing plastic, it's just a bunch of poorly-contrieved apologetics for why we can't eliminate plastics and I'm tempted to delete it, but instead I'm just changing the heading (for now). Inmate XIII (talk) 10:11, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

Ideas to add

Noted without sources for now, sorry. Feel free to find sources and add them to the article.

Fundamentally there are thermoplastics and thermosets, the former can be melted and reformed while the latter can't. Technically only the former are plastic. We call all polymer materials plastics.

Technical issues with recycling: plastic waste which is thermoset, mixed types, and/or dirty can't be completely recycled. It makes material with increasingly less strength and processability, so that at best it can be used in some percent mixed with new plastic to make products.

The triangle recycling arrows symbol with a number is supposed to indicate type of plastic so that it can be sorted for recycling. It's (intentionally) misleading, as it looks like a recycling symbol even for unrecyclable types.

Link to BPA and hormone issues/scares?

Production: plastics are made from fossil hydrocarbons. Whether this is a main source of profit for the oil industry or a side product I don't know. Another downside, especially if the former.

The waste problem was been described. Describe technical advantages and probably irreplaceable uses?

Some biodegradable plastic like cellophane and 'organic' replacements like bamboo textiles are problematic because production requires heavy chemical treatment.

It's single-use plastics are the problem, reusing plastic is in some cases the best option. Buying a new traditional alternative (ceramic cup, bamboo toothbrush, tote bag) can have more production and transport emissions than going through a few of the plastic item. Looi (talk) 16:18, 29 March 2022 (UTC)

Fertility impact

Some experiments have suggested polyester pants or underwear negatively impact spermatogenesis in males. I would say probably that's one cause for this. Chillpilled (talk) 23:51, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

The Plastic Eaters

From the usual source of offbeat stories - [1]. Anna Livia (talk) 20:04, 9 November 2023 (UTC)