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Learn the Plastic Facts with Professor Plastics

Hi, my name is Professor Plastics. If you’re looking for plastic facts and information, you’ve come to the right place. Have you ever wondered: what exactly are plastics? Where do plastics come from? How are they made? How are they recycled? Well, that’s why I’m here! I will answer your ques...

Can I Recycle Plastic Bags in the Curbside Recycling Bin?

There are so many recycling myths and misunderstandings floating around about what can be recycled, and how to do it, that this seems like a great time for a “recycling makeover.” Let’s begin the class… The most important point is that recycling is decided on a community by community basis �...

What Does That Chasing Arrow Symbol on Plastics Mean?

You know that little triangular symbol on the bottom of your plastic milk jug or detergent container or soft drink bottle? Looks sort of like chasing arrows with a number in the middle? Any idea what that means? As Professor Plastics, I’m glad I asked. That little symbol was created in 1988 to...

Are Plastics Biodegradable?

To many people, the term “biodegradable plastics” sounds like a contradiction in terms, sort of like a square circle. As usual, reality is a bit more complicated. First, let’s define biodegradable. From a scientific standpoint, the term most commonly refers to materials that can be broken down...

Plastics Help Enable Round the World Solar Flight

An airplane that flies around the world powered only by the sun. How cool is that? And what’s that got to do with plastics? Lots. Read on … The Solar Impulse is a lightweight aircraft that can fly both day and night powered by solar panels stretched across its wings. The aircraft completed a...

I Hate Wasted Food—One Reason I Love Plastic Packaging

While I’ve touched on this topic in previous articles, it’s becoming clearer to me that wasted food is a larger problem than many of us realized. Present Professor included. I hate wasting food. When I hang out in the university’s cafeterias and restaurants, I am flabbergasted by the amount of...

Wine—How Plastics Can Help Reduce Its Environmental Footprint

When I think of wine, I typically envision the glass bottle: its lovely shapes, the iconic “plunk!” when pulling the cork, the solidity of that heavy container in my hand. Then one day I dropped a wine bottle, and it shattered at my feet. Red wine and glass all over my kitchen. Which led Profess...

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): So Popular

Yes, I love polypropylene and polyester and silicones and all sorts of other plastics. But high-density polyethylene (or HDPE) plastic has been courting my favor recently. Not only is it one of the most versatile of plastics—used in everything from hard hats to house wraps—it’s also widely rec...

The Promise of Prosthetics for Kids with 3-D Printing and Plastics

Image courtesy of Ranee Stollenwerk. 3-D printing is hot. It appears that everyone from Ford Motor Company executives to arts and crafts enthusiasts is touting the promise of this modern technology. Whether it’s prototyping a company’s next car model or printing bespoke buttons in your basement,...

So…What is a “Zero Energy” Home?

Wouldn’t it be great if you never had to pay a heating or cooling bill? Or even pay for electricity? (On my professor’s salary, that would make me very happy.) Well, it may not yet be common, but for those who have built homes that produce their own energy, it’s already happening. So called �...

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