C1bL4 Disposing of Polymers

Key Words

 

Biodegradable - material that can be broken down using micro-organisms.

Environment - our surroundings and the things that live there.

Micro-organisms - small living things like bacteria and fungi that feed on waste materials.

Non-Biodegradable - material that cannot be broken down using micro-organisms.

Polymer chains - very long chain molecules made up of many repeating sub-units that form a plastic material.

Pollution - waste material that makes the environment foul.

Recycling - using waste material as a raw material to make new things.

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Grade E

We are making more and more waste, and there are fewer holes in the ground to put it.

  • Landfill can be hazardous, if toxic chemicals get into water;
  • Burning waste can give off toxic materials in the waste gases.

Recycling can turn waste material into useful raw materials to be made into new useful things, for example rulers made from old coffee cups.

 

Grade C

The cost of recycling is a lot less than making completely new materials.  Many polymer (plastic items) are non-biodegradable and will remain unaffected in landfill for many hundreds of years.  They can also be dropped as litter which is unsightly, especially when caught up in fences and trees.  This is a kind of pollution.  They can be eaten by animals, which can be harmed.  They drift about the oceans, causing deaths of many marine creatures.

It is far better to recycle.  Plastic items have codes on to state what they are, for example:

  • HDPE - high density polyethene;
  • PS - polystyrene;
  • PP - polypropene.

Biodegradable materials can be broken down by micro-organisms.

Grade A

Biodegradable materials can be broken down by  micro-organisms in the environment.  Many polymers are not biodegradable, and can last for many years in land-fill..  Others are, and will break down.  Also internal stitches used in operations are carried out with a biodegradable thread.  Many materials used in surgery nowadays are biodegradable, being absorbed by the body's biochemical system.