Short introduction to the module

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A material with great potential and versatile applications. It is lightweight, easy to process, and at the same time very durable and inexpensive. Plastic, as it is referred to, has revolutionized the world, and has become one of the most widely used material in the world. Unfortunately, its production and disposal entail a huge burden on the environment and can negatively affect health.

Scientists agree that we are living in the Plastic Age. Something that our great-grandparents didn’t know when they were children. Nowadays, plastic is literally flooding our oceans and lands! But are you able to imagine life without plastic? Is it indispensable to you? For example, some of the activities you will probably do as first after waking up: take a shower, drink coffee, brush your teeth. The handset, vase and shower curtain are made of plastic, and the water flows through PVC pipes. When preparing coffee, you will most likely use a coffee maker. Perhaps the toothbrush you brush your teeth with will be made of bamboo, but still its bristles will be of nylon.

We have already produced so much plastics that we could cover the surface of our entire globe. Undoubtedly, plastic will be the most significant trace that the last generations will leave behind. Within the first module we want to have a closer look at the definition, properties of plastics and basic classification. We will analyse selected reports presenting EU data on plastic production, demand, and waste. Let’s also consider the dynamics of the plastic invasion and how plastic has taken over the world.