question: Why can’t we just go back to using whatever materials we used before plastic?
comment: The cost, really. All of the infrastructure of a our modern society is based on making, molding or using plastic goods. To change it we'd need to readjust... like everything... Theres a reason that we switched to plastics- they're durable, heat resistant and easy to turn into whatever you need. And think of the new/old industries that would need to step up. How many more sheep would we need to make woolen clothing if artificial fabrics weren't available anymore.
passages: Section::::Legacy.
   In the 1930s and 1940s, the plastics industry developed technologies to create a variety of plastics with broad applications. Once World War II began, the US military used these new plastic materials to improve weapons, protect equipment, and to replace heavy components in aircraft and vehicles. After WWII, manufacturers saw the potential plastics could have in many industries, and plastics were incorporated into new consumer product designs. Plastics began to replace wood and metal in existing products as well, and today plastics are the most widely used manufacturing materials.
   In recent years, manufacturers have been working on developing more sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic products. Amongst them are plates and cutlery made from bamboo and wood (mostly birch). Throughout the entire life cycle of wood products, there are far fewer environmental repercussions than with traditional plastics or so called "bioplastics" like PLA. The production process is free of chemicals and the products decompose usually in the matter of only a few months. Currently wood and bamboo products are more costly than traditional plastics and not as widely available, which makes it challenging for some restaurants to switch.
  
  Section::::Materials.:Alternative materials.
   Historically, financial motivation was one of the main drivers of reuse. In the developing world this driver can lead to very high levels of reuse, however rising wages and consequent consumer demand for the convenience of disposable products has made the reuse of low value items such as packaging uneconomic in richer countries, leading to the demise of many reuse programs. Current environmental awareness is gradually changing attitudes and regulations, such as the new packaging regulations, are gradually beginning to reverse the situation.
   BULLET::::4. Design with Memory of Nature - The goal with this strategy is to make the product self-evidently integrating with natural cycles. A winning entry example of this strategy is the compostable computer keyboard. Technological advances are rapid and cause plastic products to be “out of date” quickly - leading to increased pressure on recycling programs and landfills. To address this problem, the keyboard keys and body are instead made from carrot and celery fibers bound with a starch based binder – 100% compostable after the electronic sheet and chord are removed.
  
  Section::::Major Exhibitions.
   Recycling of plastics is more difficult, as most programs are not able to reach the necessary level of quality. Recycling of PVC often results in downcycling of the material, which means only products of lower quality standard can be made with the recycled material. A new approach which allows an equal level of quality is the Vinyloop process. It was used after the London Olympics 2012 to fulfill the PVC Policy.
  
  Section::::Recycling industrial waste.:E-waste recycling.
   Recent changes in plastic manufacturing, as a result of environmental concerns, towards biodegradable plastics, have a potentially negative effect upon the long term stability of such objects within museum collections.
  
  Section::::Identification and composition of plastics.
   While most textiles can be recycled, in the main they are downgraded almost immediately into low-quality end-uses, such as filling materials. The limited range of recycled materials available reflects the market dominance of cheap virgin fibres and the lack of technological innovation in the recycling industry. For 200 years recycling technology has stayed the same; fibres are extracted from used fabric by mechanically tearing the fabric apart using carding machines. The process breaks the fibres, producing much shortened lengths that tend to make a low quality yarn. Textiles made from synthetic fibres can also be recycled chemically in a process that involves breaking down the fibre at the molecular level and then repolymerizing the feedstock. While chemical recycling is more energy intensive than mechanical pulling, the resulting fibre tends to be of more predictable quality. The most commonly available recycled synthetic fibre is polyester made from plastic bottles, although recycled nylon is also available
   As the first step of recycling, separation of Al and Polymers using the hydrometallurgical method which uses hydrochloric acid (HCl) can be incorporated. Then PVC can be recycled by using mechanical or chemical methods. The most recent trend is to use biodegradable, eco-friendly “bio plastics” which are also called as biopolymers such as derivatives of starch, cellulose, protein, chitin and xylan for pharmaceutical packaging, to reduce the hostile effects to the environment.
  
  Section::::Examples.:Nail polish remover.
   Much of the reason for disappointing plastics recycling goals is that conventional plastics are often commingled with organic wastes (food scraps, wet paper, and liquids), leading to accumulation of waste in landfills and natural habitats. Current usage also makes it difficult and impractical to recycle the underlying polymer without expensive cleaning and sanitizing procedures.
   Individuals can also engage in advocacy with local officials and local merchants. With the rise in eco-tourism and green travel, there are many opportunities to say no to plastic.
  
  Section::::Impact.
   Plastic clothing
  
  Plastic clothing – as distinct from clothing made from plastic-based artificial fibers – has existed almost since the creation of flexible plastics, particularly as a material for waterproof clothing.
  
  During the 1960s, there was great enthusiasm for plastic and paper garments as futuristic clothing such as plastic raincoats, which were far lighter and cheaper than mackintoshes or gaberdine raincoats, and could also be manufactured in bright colours or made transparent or translucent.
   Most plastics are durable and degrade very slowly, as their chemical structure renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation. There are differing estimates of how much plastic waste has been produced in the last century. By one estimate, one billion tons of plastic waste have been discarded since the 1950s. Others estimate a cumulative human production of 8.3 billion tons of plastic of which 6.3 billion tons is waste, with a recycling rate of only 9%. Much of this material may persist for centuries or longer, given the demonstrated persistence of structurally similar natural materials such as amber.
   Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass and often contain other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, however, an array of variants are made from renewable materials such as polylactic acid from corn or cellulosics from cotton linters.
  
  Due to their low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in a multitude of products of different scale, including paper clips and spacecraft. They have prevailed over traditional materials, such as wood, stone, horn and bone, leather, metal, glass, and ceramic, in some products previously left to natural materials.
   Incorporating recycled materials into the manufacturing process of new goods is an integral change. Mineral resources are finite, such as bauxite ore for aluminum or fossil fuels to make plastics, so it is imperative to start reusing what we have already mined so that we do not deplete what is left. There are many technologies available that help tremendously with recycling efforts such as near-infrared equipment which, "is a common sortation technology in large recycling operations and can accurately identify many different types of polymers." Near-infrared equipment is a much easier way to sort through plastics compared to the human eye.
   2Al+ 6H → 2Al + 3H 
  
  By employing proper disposal methods, all manufacturing materials of blister packs like PP, PE, PVC and Al can be recycled and the adverse effects to the environment can be minimized. Even though, the synthesis of these polymers relatively simple, the recycling process can be very complex since the blister packs contain metals and polymers together.
   The industry is pledging several commitments including to help double the recycling rate of plastic packaging in the UK by the year 2020 and the diversion of plastics from landfill.
  
  Section::::Plastic recycling.
  
  Plastics are too valuable a resource to send to landfill at their end of life. Industry wants these materials back to recycle whenever possible. When plastics cannot be sustainably recycled such non-recyclable plastics provides a valuable energy resource for advanced thermal process, contributing to energy security and displacing virgin fossils fuels.
  
  Section::::Call for action.
   Biodegradable plastics have become an issue because as plastic is used in many everyday objects the push to create biodegradable plastics has been on the rise. This causes an issue for conservators because these object will ultimately degrade as their composition is designed to as there is an increase in plastic waste. It is these biodegradable plastics that can be prove to be difficult and museums will need to provide research for these items quickly to slow done their deterioration.
  
  Section::::Deterioration.
   There was resurgent interest in environmental sustainability in terms of reusing, recycling and repairing rather than throwing things away. Sometimes vintage items are upcycled via changing the hemline or other features for a more contemporary look. Vintage items in poor condition are also salvaged for reuse as components in new garments. Throughout the world, used apparel is reclaimed and put to new uses. The textile recycling industry is able to process over ninety percent of the waste without the production of any new hazardous waste or harmful by product.
   While containers are usually made from a single type and color of plastic, making them relatively easy to sort, a consumer product like a cellular phone may have many small parts consisting of over a dozen different types and colors of plastics. In such cases, the resources it would take to separate the plastics far exceed their value and the item is discarded. However, developments are taking place in the field of active disassembly, which may result in more product components being reused or recycled. Recycling certain types of plastics can be unprofitable as well. For example, polystyrene is rarely recycled because the process is usually not cost effective. These unrecycled wastes are typically disposed of in landfills, incinerated or used to produce electricity at waste-to-energy plants.
   The plastics industry was revolutionized in the 1930s with the announcement of polyamide (PA), far better known by its trade name nylon. Nylon was the first purely synthetic fiber, introduced by DuPont Corporation at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City.
   BULLET::::- Waste landfill costs: if plastics represent a significant percentage of waste in a particular region, manufacturing plastics with bio-degradable properties may be more profitable and ecologically friendly than merely disposing of a non-degradable plastic. By using degradable polymers, costs due to waste transportation, landfill maintenance, new landfill excavation and environmental hazard control can be avoided.
  
  BULLET::::- Lost end-of-life plastic potential: processes such as energy recovery of the plastic by incineration or biological treatment and material recovery by recycling have to be taken into account when assessing the feasibility of manufacturing degradable polymers.
  
  Section::::Aspects of plastic processing.:Reusable plastic containers.
   Proper storage of plastics can help slow down the degrading process of plastics. Plastics are currently stored with a RH Level of 50% with the storage temperature at 18 degrees Celsius with no light coming into contact with the objects. Although the composition of each plastic material can be different it is difficult to determine one unifying storage care plan ,thus understanding the composition of the plastic can help determine their preferred climate levels. Keeping plastics at a stable low temperature or considering placing these objects either in cold storage or in oxygen impermeable bags helps slow degradation.
   Some plastics are manufactured from re-cycled materials but their use in engineering tends to be limited because the consistency of formulation and their physical properties tend to be less consistent. Electrical and electronic equipment and motor vehicle markets together accounted for 58 percent of engineered plastics demand in 2003. Engineered plastics demand in the US was estimated at $9,702 million in 2007.
   Bioplastics are used for disposable items, such as packaging, crockery, cutlery, pots, bowls, and straws. Few commercial applications exist for bioplastics. In principle they could replace many applications for petroleum-derived plastics, however cost and performance remain problematic. As a matter of fact, their usage is financially favourable only if supported by specific regulations limiting the usage of conventional plastics. Typical is the example of Italy, where biodegradable plastic bags and shoppers are compulsory since 2011 with the introduction of a specific law. Beyond structural materials, electroactive bioplastics are being developed that promise to be used to carry electric current.
  
  Section::::Examples.
  