
Plastic - Wikipedia
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse …
Plastic | Composition, History, Uses, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 19, 2025 · plastic, polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.
Is cutting back on plastic really worth all the effort?
Nov 20, 2025 · For the average person, trying to avoid plastics can feel overwhelming—and maybe pointless. Our writer asked two experts how they navigate our plastic-filled world.
Plastic pollution: The crisis choking the oceans and marine life
Plastic waste invades every corner of our planet, and threatens sea life. But there's still hope for a future free from plastic pollution.
About Plastic Products and Plastic Pollution | US EPA
Oct 31, 2025 · Plastic products are generally versatile, durable and lightweight. Plastic products are prominent in the construction, transportation, and packaging industries. Plastic innovations …
Plastic can be programmed to have a lifespan of days, months or years
5 hours ago · Chemical additions to plastic that mimic natural polymers like DNA can create materials that break down in days, months or years rather than littering the environment for centuries. …
How extreme weather is making plastic pollution more mobile, more ...
1 day ago · The connection between plastic and climate change usually focuses on how plastic is partly to blame for the crisis: more than 98% of it is made using fossil fuels, and climate pollution is ...
How Plastics Work - HowStuffWorks
In this article, we'll examine the chemistry of plastic, how it's made, how it's used, and how it's disposed of and recycled. We'll also look at some new biologically based plastics and their role in the future of …
The 7 Different Types of Plastics
Plastics are incredibly versatile materials that can be used to make a variety of products. They are lightweight yet durable, strong yet malleable, and relatively inexpensive to produce. There are seven …
History and Future of Plastics - Science History Institute
Plastic is a word that originally meant “pliable and easily shaped.” It only recently became a name for a category of materials called polymers. The word polymer means “of many parts,” and polymers are …