What is the future of plastics? This is a question asked by many but not answered very well. The answer to this question is relative. The future of plastics will depend on how our society uses plastics and how much of it there currently is. It also will depend on how well the plastics industry develops environmentally responsible products. All these questions are important and have an impact on its future outcomes.
Right now, we are in the middle of developing plastics that will substitute oil for gasoline. The idea is to get rid of the smell and the dangerous emissions from fuel-powered vehicles. At this point, we do not know what type of plastics will be developed that will perform well at getting rid of the odor and polluting emissions. Will there be a future with plastics that is completely green?
If we continue to use fossil fuels as an energy source, we will certainly run out of them someday. The other concern is that if we continue to burn fossil fuels like coal or oil, we will further deplete the natural resources of these fossil fuels and make finding more efficient replacements like natural gas and electricity more difficult.
It’s difficult to imagine a world without oil because the demand for it is so high. However, depleting and using up oil will have serious consequences. One such effect will be climate change. If the world uses up the oil that we are currently consuming today, we will end up with two separate worlds, one where all the extreme weather events happen and one where it is little if any weather. It is hard to say the consequences, but it is very scary considering the speed at which our oil supplies are diminishing.
Will we be able to change what the future of plastics is? Maybe. If enough people decide to use alternate sources of energy, we can surely alter our use of oil. We will no longer be dependent on oil and will no longer pollute our air. One day soon, we will all be using a form of energy that does not harm the planet and cannot be deleted as easily as the oil we use now.
What Are the Alternatives of Plastics?
The Tree Rings as an Alternative to Plastic – Reduce, reuse and recycle have been adopted as the general approach to fight the plastic waste problem. The goal is to create an annular plastic economy where commodities are 100% recyclable and used for prolonged while generating minimum waste. Until now, this strategy has shown minor positive results, but with an escalating number of new initiatives, and support from governments and manufacturers, there is a strong possibility that the goals will be accomplished. In the meantime, growth remains gradual despite molecular level recycling, enabling different plastics to be recycled together.
Recycling is expensive, produces lower-quality materials, and depends on human behavior. Plus, it does not restrict consumption; if we want to maintain our current lifestyles, the manufacturers need to run the production process effectively.
With the increase in population, the demand for more stuff like water, food, fuel, etc., the supply of precious commodities has increased, making each country produce more plastic products to satisfy the demand of human beings. The problem with plastics is that they are made from natural compounds called polymers. When exposed to heat or light breaks down into smaller particles giving birth to a harmful gas called chlorofluorocarbons (HFCs). These gases, when inhaled or consumed, can damage our organism and environment negatively. When introduced in the human body, HFCs lead to rapid and drastic weight loss leading to various ailments like cancer, asthma, and other illnesses.
Finding The Natural Substitute
The natural alternative to plastics is the trees that are very important as they give us a lot of greenhouse gases that are very effective against pests that pose a threat to our health and properties. The only way to get rid of them is by using the trees. The trees provide us with food, drinkable water, fuel, and all the other materials and have certain properties that make them an excellent substitute for plastics.
The natural substitute for these very useful products can be found on our earth like Bamboo, eucalyptus, manuka, the evergreen tree, palms, and sapling trees. All these trees have certain properties that can be very helpful for using the alternatives of plastics. The Bamboo and the Eucalyptus trees, like the evergreen trees, grow fast and without the need of any fertilizers, while the manuka trees like the palms grow very fast but require little water.
Many years ago, the consumption of chemicals became so commonplace that it was not considered an option anymore to use chemicals. Today we have many options available to us that do not have side effects and are biodegradable and better for the environment. These are all excellent choices, and it seems that most people are only concerned with the issue of what are alternatives to using plastics when it comes to plastic bottles for drinking water, storing food, carrying goods, and so on.
There are alternatives to using plastics in your home as well! Recycled materials like wood and cork are one of them. Reclaimed wood can be used to make furniture, and cork can be used for linoleum. Using these alternative materials, you are taking a positive step towards reducing the amount of garbage that ends up in our landfills and reduces the amount of pollution that occurs in the environment. Plastic is one of the most widely used products today, and it’s no wonder because it’s cheap, convenient, and it lasts forever!
If you want to help the environment while also doing something good for yourself, you must start using paper instead of plastic and other synthetic materials.