No more plastic

International Plastic Bag Free Day is celebrated on July 3 every year to raise awareness about the harmful impact of plastic on the environment.

Plastic contamination is one of the greatest and most destructive scourge of the XX and XX1st century. It needs to be globally fought and precisely this fight begins from an early age from family habits and from the acknowledgment at school.

To better understand and strive against the single use plastic process from school, we go through different steps for accurate learning, indeed we must go through a process of investigation.

To better understand plastics, students examine challenges and alternatives and create action plans for their local environments.
They will also search for new ideas that can have a positive impact on the planet and the future.

Objective: to better understand the history of plastics. Create a timeline of plastics history.

The first plastics were invented in the years 1800 to replace products such as ivory and tortoiseshell which were not widely available.

Results: The history of plastics

From the television you watch or from the computer that you use on the bus or train in which you can ride, plastics are part of our daily life. We encounter plastics during work, travel and games - while traveling at the doctor's office and visits to the grocery store.

As humans, our relationship with plastic is complex and widespread.

The first synthetic plastic was invented by Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist and innovator, in 1907 and presented as the ‘material of 1,000 uses’ (Science Museum, 2021).

Then, on December 7, 1909, the Patent Office and Trademarks of the United States granted to Baekeland a patent for his method of making insoluble products of phenol and formaldehyde.

Naming the invention after himself, the "bakelite" was hard, compact and insoluble and easily mass-produced. The current term "plastic" comes from the Greek word plastikos which means "to grow" or "to form".

Waste and decomposition rate

In nature, everything has a purpose.

In nature, waste does not exist.

The word 'waste' and the act of 'waste' are human inventions. Waste can refer to anything that is no longer useful and is discarded. This provides short-term convenience, but may have consequences long term for humans, nature and economy. SO WE NEED TO TAKE ACTIONS!!!!

Waste can include many things, including household waste (which we often call trash or garbage). Considering the different types of household waste, it is important to consider the rates decomposition because they vary considerably:

Plastic bag: 10-20 years
Nylon: 30-40 years
Plastic foam: 50 years

TAKING ACTION: Workshops

Can milk be used to make plastics?

As your students may have identified in the plastics timeline, milk was commonly used in the production of plastics from about 1900 to 1945, milk-based plastics, sometimes called casein plastics, were used to make buttons, beads, jewelry, combs and pens. Get your students involved in an experiment to make plastics from milk.

NOTE: This activity involves heat and the use of a microwave (or stove). Therefore, it MUST be led by an adult teacher.

Materials:

Milk
Vinegar
Microwaveable container
Cup
Paper napkins
Spoon

Steps:

Heat 1 cup of milk in the microwaveable container at 50% for 5 minutes.
Add 4 tablespoons of vinegar to the cup.

ADULTS ONLY: Add hot milk to the cup and start stirring. Clots should form immediately.

Lay 5-6 paper towels on a flat counter surface.
Pour the curd from the cup onto the napkins.
Press the towels over the curd to remove any liquid.
Knead and mold the casein plastic into preferred shapes.
Allow molded shapes to sit for 48 hours to dry and harden.
Students can add details with glitter, food coloring or cookie cutter.

AIM: Getting ready to ban Single Use Plastic at School Community. Educators, Teachers, Students with Families share workshops about the importance of taking care of our PLANET EARTH! Also see the DIY waxed reusable cling film to store food!!! And the customized tote bags, children love them!!!

Workshop

How to make reusable cling film with beeswax?

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