ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

CLASS : FYBMS-B

TOPIC

: THE USE PLASTIC BAGS- A CASE STUDY

PROF. IN CHARGE

: PROF. DAVE

SEMESTER

: SEMESTER 2

GROUP MEMBERS
DEV PATEL(67) PERCEUS PATEL (68) ASHWIN PAUL (70) IRMAN SANDHU (80) ROHIT RAJPUT (114)

Plastic Bags
In 2007, Australians used 3.9 billion lightweight single use high density polyethylene (HDPE) bags. 2.96 billion of these came from supermarkets, while the others were used by fast food restaurants, service stations, convenience stores and liquor stores and other shops. Plastic bags are popular with consumers and retailers as they are a functional, lightweight, strong, cheap, and hygienic way to transport food and other products.

Most of these go to landfill (rubbish tips) after they are used, and some are recycled. In 2002 around 50 to 80 million bags ended up as litter in our

environment. While the number littered has probably been reduced since then, it is likely that a large number still enter the environment. Once littered, plastic bags can find their way on to our streets, parks, and into our waterways. Although plastic bags make up only a small percentage of all litter, the impact of these bags is nevertheless significant. Plastic bags create visual pollution problems and can have harmful effects on aquatic and terrestrial animals. Plastic bags are particularly noticeable components of the litter stream due to their size and can take a long time to fully break down.

Plastics adverse effects on our environment.

1. Plastic pollutes beaches and oceans

Garbage has been discarded into the seas and the oceans for as long as humans have sailed the seven seasons lived on sea shores or near water ways flowing into the seas. Since the 1940s plastic use has improved dramatically, resulting in huge quantity of nearly indestructible, light weight material floating into the oceans and eventually deposited on beaches world wide.

2.

Plastic bags litter the environment

Once they are used, most plastic bags go into landfill or rubbish tips. Each year more and more plastic bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our water ways, parks, beaches, and streets. If they are burnt, they infuse the air with toxic fumes.

Plastic bag kills animals

About 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles, whales penguins are killed every year due to plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bag, mistaking them for food and therefore die.

And worse, the ingested plastic bags remains intact even after the death of and decomposition of the animals. Thus it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.

Effects on Wildlife
Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals and turtles are killed every year from plastic bag litter in the marine environment as they often mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish. Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested or passed by an animal so it stays in the gut. Plastic in an animal's gut can prevent food digestion and can lead to a very slow and painful death. As plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to break down, once an animal dies and decays after ingesting plastic, the plastic is then freed back into the marine environment to carry on killing other wildlife.

Plastic is the general common term for a wide

range of synthetic or semi synthetic organic amorphous solid materials used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs.

There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics will soften and melt if enough heat is applied;

Thermosets can melt and take shape once; after they have solidified, they stay solid.

 Common thermoplastics range from 20,000 to 500,000 in molecular mass, while thermosets are assumed to have infinite molecular weight. These chains are made up of many repeating molecular units, known as repeat units,

USES OF PLASTICS
1. Polypropene (PP)
IT is a thermoplastic polymer, made by the chemical industry and used in a wide variety of applications, including packaging, textiles (e.g. ropes, thermal underwear and carpets), stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes. An addition polymer made from the monomer propylene, it is rugged and unusually resistant to many chemical solvents, bases and acids.

2. Polystyrene
It is one of the most widely used kinds of plastic. Polystyrene is a thermoplastic substance, which is in solid (glassy) state at room temperature, but flows if heated above its glass transition temperature (for molding or extrusion), and becoming solid again when cooling off. Pure solid polystyrene is a colorless, hard plastic with limited flexibility. It can be cast into molds with fine detail. Polystyrene can be transparent or can be made to take on various colors.

Solid polystyrene is used, for example, in disposable cutlery, plastic models, CD and DVD cases, and smoke detector housings. Products made from foamed polystyrene are nearly ubiquitous, for

example packing materials, insulation, and foam drink cups. Polystyrene can be recycled, and has the number "6" as its recycling symbol. Polystyrene does not biodegrade, and is often abundant as a form of pollution in the outdoor environment, particularly along shores and waterways.

3. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

It is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping (for example plastic pressure pipe systems), musical instruments (most notably recorders and plastic clarinets), golf club heads (used for its good shock absorbance), automotive body parts, wheel covers, enclosures, protective headgear, buffer edging for furniture and joinery panels, Thule boxes, airsoft BBs and toys, including Lego bricks. ABS plastic ground down to an average diameter of less than 1 micrometer is used as the colorant in some tattoo inks. The most important mechanical properties of ABS are impact resistance and toughness. A variety of modifications can be made to improve impact resistance, toughness, and heat resistance.

4. Polyethylene Terephthalate
It is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers. Depending on its processing and thermal history, polyethylene terephthalate may exist both as an amorphous (transparent) and as a semi-crystalline material. The majority of the world's PET production is for synthetic fibers (in excess of 60%) with bottle production accounting for around 30% of global demand. In discussing textile applications, PET is generally referred to as simply "polyester" while "PET" is used most often to refer to packaging applications.

5. Natural polyesters
They are a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not.

Depending on the chemical structure polyester can be a thermoplastic or thermoset, however the most common polyesters are thermoplastics.

Fabrics woven from polyester thread or yarn are used extensively in apparel and home furnishings, from shirts and pants to jackets and hats, bed sheets, blankets and upholstered furniture. Industrial polyester fibers, yarns and ropes are used in tyre reinforcements, fabrics for conveyor belts, safety belts, coated fabrics and plastic reinforcements with high-energy absorption. Polyester fiber is used as cushioning and insulating material in pillows, comforters and upholstery padding.

 polyester fabrics can provide specific advantages over natural fabrics, such as improved wrinkle resistance. As a result, polyester fibers are sometimes spun together with natural fibers to produce a cloth with blended properties. Polyesters are also used to make "plastic" bottles, films, tarpaulin, canoes, liquid crystal displays, holograms, filters, dielectric film for capacitors, film insulation for wire and insulating tapes.

6. Polyvinyl chloride
It commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups (ethenyls) having one of their hydrogens replaced with a chloride group. Over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction, because it is cheap, durable, and easy to assemble. It the plastic of choice for most household sewerage pipes and other pipe applications. PVC has become widely used in clothing, to either create a leather-like material.

Electric wires PVC is commonly used as the insulation on electric wires the plastic used for this purpose needs to be plasticized.

Portable electronic accessories PVC is finding increased use as a composite for the production of accessories or housings for portable electronics.

7. Polycarbonates
They are a particular group of thermoplastic polymers. They are easily worked, moulded, and thermoformed; as such, these plastics are very widely used in the modern chemical industry.

Applications

compact discs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs drinking bottles drinking glasses lab equipment, research animal enclosures lighting lenses, sunglass/eyeglass lenses, safety glasses, automotive headlamp lenses MP3/Digital audio player cases Ocarinas

Typical sheet/film application:

Advertisement: signs, displays, poster protection Building: domelights, flat or curved glazing, and sound walls Computers: laptops and computer cases Industry: machined or formed, cases, machine glazing, riot shields, visors, instrument panel.

8. Polyethylene It is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging.

-------------------------xxx----------------------------