Get ready to be amazed, horrified, and maybe even a little bit amused by these 25 plastic facts that will make you rethink your relationship with this ubiquitous material. From mind-boggling statistics to surprising uses, this article has it all. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn something new about the substance that’s shaping our world.
1-5 Interesting Facts About Plastic
1. Milk can be used to create a type of plastic that is odorless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic, and almost non-flammable. However, once set, it cannot be molded.
2. Plastic-eating fungi? Yes, please! There’s a species of fungus in the Amazon that can live on plastic alone and do so without oxygen.
3. Need to pay for your subway fare in Beijing? No problem – just use a plastic bottle! The subways there encourage recycling by allowing travelers to use plastic bottles as a form of payment.
4. Back in the 60s, General Electric had a pretty wild idea for bringing an astronaut back to Earth in an emergency. They designed a system consisting of a plastic bag filled with polyurethane foam, a small deorbit rocket, and a parachute. All of this could fit into a suitcase. Talk about thinking outside the box!
5. If you’re ever lost in the wilderness and in need of water, tying a plastic bag around some leaves on a tree can do the trick. The condensation from the leaves will collect in the bag and give you some drinkable water to keep you hydrated.
6-10 Shocking Facts About Plastic
6. Opening plastic packaging can be a real pain – and sometimes even dangerous! More than 6,000 Americans end up in the emergency room every year due to injuries incurred from trying to open plastic packaging.
7. Rwanda was the first country to ban plastic bags.
8. The plastic liner inside Starbucks’ white paper cups makes them impossible to recycle. So next time you order your latte, consider bringing your reusable cup instead.
9. Recycling one ton of plastic can conserve about 3.8 barrels of crude oil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
10. Scientists have developed a self-fixing plastic, nicknamed the Terminator, which functions like the T1000 polymer from the Terminator movies.
11-15 Insane Facts About Plastic
11. The small plastic tables that come with pizza deliveries are referred to as “Pizza Savers.”
12. Sadly, plastic pollution is a huge problem in the world. Over the last decade, we’ve produced more plastic than the entire previous century.
13. Americans alone throw away around 185 pounds of plastic each year.
14. The average American discards roughly 185 pounds of plastic annually.
15. Plastic accounts for approximately 10% of total waste generated by humans.
16-20 Disturbing Facts About Plastic
16. The human body can absorb chemicals from plastic, with about 93% of Americans aged six or older and 95% of Canadians testing positive for BPA in their urine.
17. Certain compounds found in plastic have the potential to alter hormones and negatively impact human health.
18. Nearly 98% of the plastic ever produced still exists, as it takes anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years to degrade.
19. The impact of plastic on marine life is devastating, with an estimated one million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals killed each year due to plastic ingestion.
20. Plastic bag bans and restrictions have been implemented in various countries, including China, Australia, Ireland, and Bangladesh, although the latter two have only banned thicker bags.
21-25 Mind-Blowing Facts About Plastic
21. The production of plastic bottles requires a staggering 72 billion gallons of water each year.
22. By 2050, the amount of plastic waste in our oceans is expected to exceed the total number of fish, according to research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
23. It can take up to 80 years for a plastic cup to decompose, contributing to the growing issue of plastic pollution.
24. Inadequate waste management often leads to the burning of trash, which releases highly toxic chemicals like dioxin into the air.
25. Shocking research by the World Health Organisation in 2018 revealed that 90% of tested bottled water contained microplastics, with only 17 out of 259 samples being free from plastic contamination.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 25 Insane Plastic Facts For Kids.
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