Plastic: the new fantastic?

Plastic has become a malevolent symbol of our wasteful society. It’s also one of the most successful materials ever invented: it’s cheap, durable, flexible, waterproof, versatile, lightweight, protective and hygienic.
During the coronavirus pandemic, plastic visors, goggles, gloves and aprons have been fundamental for protecting healthcare workers from the virus. But what about the effects on the environment of throwing away huge numbers of single-use medical protection equipment? How are we to balance our need for plastic with protecting the environment?
Delayed as a result of the pandemic, the film is being released now because it considers how society might ‘reset the clock’ when it comes to living better with a vital material. We hear how Cambridge University's Cambridge Creative Circular Plastics Centre (CirPlas) aims to eliminate plastic waste by combining blue-sky thinking with practical measures - from turning waste plastic into hydrogen fuel, to manufacturing more sustainable materials, to driving innovations in plastic recycling in a circular economy.
“As a chemist I look at plastic and I see an extremely useful material that is rich in chemicals and energy - a material that shouldn’t end up in landfills and pollute the environment,” says Professor Erwin Reisner, who leads CirPlas, funded by UK Research and Innovation. “Plastic is an example of how we must find ways to use resources without irreversibly changing the planet for future generations.”
Explore more:
CirPlas: www.energy.cam.ac.uk/Plastic_...
Cambridge research on sustainability: www.cam.ac.uk/topics/sustainable-earth
Thumbnail credit - Karina Tess on Unsplash

[@mahendirandamodaran3734]

Plastic finds its use only in medical field. Anything else is either abuse or misuse. As the classic motto goes humanity should move in this order - Refuse, Reuse, Reduce & Recycle.

[@bibinmathewcmf]

Blue sky thinking, green earth innovating! Awesome.

[@noorazlinabaharuddin9463]

Making people aware of it's existence long after we died, is a global challenge. It start from home. I remember using mason to store refill product. Dish soap, shower gel, food packaging, water botol, etc plus excellant graphic design entice consumer to drop the idea that you should have new stuff rather than recycled pack..when will we stop this global plastic madness..🤔🤔

[@knpandey9908]

Good way of explanation

[@ZedTV8123]

Nice vid!! :)

[@willshow]

Isn't water vapour the most significant greenhouse gas? How is hydrogen fuel better than fossil fuels exactly when the emission from burning it is water vapour?

[@vaishakmk8788]

Best of luck to Taylor Uekert , PhD scholar. 😊.