Plastic. Fantastic?

Mother Jones by Jennifer Kahn | Apr. 26, 2009 (Special Report)
Can we learn to live with (and even love) plastic?

As the most visible evidence of a disposable, trash-addled society, plastic has become the emblem of a world swimming in waste. Reportedly, plastic shopping bags are used an average of just 12 minutes before being thrown away. Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are discarded worldwide; they wave from tree branches so abundantly that South Africans have dubbed them their "national flower," and no fewer than six countries have enacted bans. ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Subjects: Sci/Tech, Business
Topics: Environment, Oil and Gas, Sustainability
Member Tags: plastic
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Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Apr 26, 2009 - 11:50 AM PDT
Reviewed by: Kaizar Campwala (review), William Hughes-Games (review), Fabrice Florin (review), Douglas Hord (review), Norman Rogers (review), Dwight Rousu (review), Tanya J. Maurer (review)
Content Type: Article
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Kaizar Campwala - Apr 26, 2009 - 11:50 AM PDT
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3.8
 by Dwight Rousu - Apr. 26, 2009

A short article on some of the history and complexities of plastics, and attempts to design more biodegradable varieties.

See Full Review » (12 answers)
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4.2
 by Douglas Hord - Apr. 26, 2009
See Full Review » (10 answers)
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3.6
 by Fabrice Florin - Apr. 26, 2009
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4.0
 by Kaizar Campwala - Apr. 26, 2009
Kaizar posted this story.
See Full Review » (10 answers)
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4.0
 by William Hughes-Games - Apr. 26, 2009

Excellent sumary of the pro's and con's of plastic. A heads up not to scrap the use of plastic before examining carefully the alternatives.

In the embedded article "Where plastics go to kill", micro plastic was mentioned. It is produced on high energy beaches where the plastic detritus ... More »

See Full Review » (3 answers)
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4.2
 by Tanya J. Maurer - May. 5, 2009
See Full Review » (11 answers)
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2.5
 by Norman Rogers - Apr. 26, 2009

Now the environmental extremists admit they have been wrong about plastic. They have a new scheme to order our lives. These guys are busy bodies who should just leave the rest of us alone.

The ignorance of environmentalists knows no bounds. They constantly come up with illogical schemes like powering the country with the wind or sun.

See Full Review » (7 answers)

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3.7

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from 7 reviews (50% confidence)
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3.7
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3.8
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4.2
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3.5
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4.2
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4.0
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3.2
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3.8
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4.5
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3.6
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  • Where Plastics Go to Kill (Pending)

    Mother Jones | Apr. 26, 2009
    Posted by Kaizar Campwala
    No Rating
    Like | Edit | Share | See Reviews »

  • Do Biodegradable Plastics Really Work? (Pending)

    Mother Jones | Apr. 26, 2009
    Posted by Kaizar Campwala
    No Rating
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  • Drowning in plastic: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of France

    Daily Telegraph | Apr. 24, 2009 (Special Report)
    There are now 46,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre of the world's oceans, killing a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Worse still, there seems to ...
    Posted by Dwight Rousu
    3.8
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