logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
31m 52s

What is plastic?

Melissa and Jam, Bleav
About this episode

#062

Think about it for a second, plastic is everywhere. What plastic things are around you right now? What plastic things do you use everyday? This week, Melissa and Jam dive right into the proverbial (and sort of literal) ball pit. What even is plastic? What is it made of? How is it made? How are there so many different kinds? Let's find out.

How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!

References from this episode

  1. https://cen.acs.org/sections/discovery-reports/the-future-of-plastic.html
  2. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-11/documents/
  3. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-11/documents/2017_facts_and_figures_fact_sheet_final.pdf
  4. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/undergraduate/chemistryincontext/interactives/world-of-polymers-and-plastics.html
  5. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/reactions/videos/2018/how-plastic-recycling-actually-works.html
  6. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/GC/C7GC01737E#!divAbstract
  7. https://archive.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/smm/wastewise/web/html/factoid.html
  8. https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-benefits-recycling
  9. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/912150085/waste-land
  10. 2017_facts_and_figures_fact_sheet_final.pdf
  11. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/GC/C7GC01737E#!divAbstract
  12. https://youtu.be/ggh0Ptk3VGE
  13. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/celebrating-chemistry-editions/2020-ccew/earth-friendly-plastics.html
  14. https://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i42/Science-Spherification.html
  15. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jp508841p?source=cen
  16. https://cen.acs.org/materials/inorganic-chemistry/glass-recycling-US-broken/97/i6#:~:text=First%2C%20cullet%20allows%20glass%20manufacturers,and%20limestone%20(CaCO3).



Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.

Thanks to our monthly supporters
  • Ciara Linville
  • J0HNTR0Y
  • Jeannette Napoleon
  • Cullyn R
  • Erica Bee
  • Elizabeth P
  • Sarah Moar
  • Rachel Reina
  • Letila
  • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
  • Suzanne Phillips
  • Nelly Silva
  • Venus Rebholz
  • Lyn Stubblefield
  • Jacob Taber
  • Brian Kimball
  • Emerson Woodhall
  • Kristina Gotfredsen
  • Timothy Parker
  • Steven Boyles
  • Chris Skupien
  • Chelsea B
  • Bri McAllister
  • Avishai Barnoy
  • Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Up next
Aug 21
What makes fireflies glow?
Melissa and Jam delve into the fascinating chemistry behind fireflies' bioluminescence. They explore how fireflies produce light through a complex series of chemical reactions involving specific molecules like luciferin and enzymes like luciferase. The discussion extends to how t ... Show More
56m 31s
Aug 14
Ask a Chemist: What would be worse, drinking bleach or gasoline? (and other questions)
Melissa and Jam dive into a variety of listener-submitted questions. They discuss the science behind fluffy shave ice versus mainland shaved ice, the effectiveness and safety of ozone treatments for smoke smells, and the potential impact of glyphosate on human health. They also e ... Show More
48m 53s
Aug 7
Why is sweat salty?
Melissa and Jam explore the science behind why sweat is salty. They discuss personal experiences with sweating, the types of sweat glands, and the chemical processes involved in sweat production. The episode explains how osmosis, ion channels, and salt concentrations contribute t ... Show More
37m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
What happens to the plastic you throw away?
Plastic is everywhere. We know we should cut down on it where we can, but is plastic ever the answer? In this episode, a whole world of plastic you never knew about. Starting with: which bag is best: paper, plastic, or cotton? The answer might surprise you. Dan breaks down the pr ... Show More
11m 43s
Nov 2018
Why We Fell In Love with Plastic
Plastic waste and pollution have become a global problem but is there any sign of a global solution? And how did we allow this to happen in the first place? Materials scientist and broadcaster, Professor Mark Miodownik, explores how we fell in love with plastic, why we've ended u ... Show More
26m 28s
Oct 2023
Comment se débarrasser du plastique ?
En 2022, le monde a produit 500 millions de tonnes de plastique. Et si on continue sur cette trajectoire, ce sera deux fois plus en 2060. Plus fou encore : la moitié des plastiques qui existent dans le monde ont été fabriqués depuis l’an 2000. En une vingtaine d’années tout juste ... Show More
46m 10s
Apr 2022
Plastic (Chemistry and Climate Change)
We know plastic is bad for the environment. Kareena’s chemistry superhero helps her understand how plastic also contributes to climate change - and how chemistry can help.Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
5m 41s
Dec 2022
Plastic Rap
Plastic waste never really breaks down. It just splits into tinier and tinier pieces until it becomes trillions of microscopic bits scattered across the world. Microplastics are everywhere: In the air we breathe and the water we drink, atop the highest mountains and in the deepes ... Show More
38m 23s
Aug 2017
Plastic
A couple of decades after Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic – Bakelite – plastics were pouring out of labs around the world. There was polystyrene, often used for packaging; nylon, popularised by stockings; polyethylene, the stuff of plastic bags. As the Se ... Show More
9m 14s
Mar 2024
Plastics Greenium Boosts Chemical Recycling Outlook
With plastic production set to double by 2050, immediate action is needed to address plastic waste pollution and the inefficiencies of existing recycling systems. Chemical recycling could help process lower-grade feedstocks, significantly upping the amount of plastic that can be ... Show More
26m 20s
Apr 2024
Where Does Plastic Go?
Happy Earth Day, Curious People! To celebrate, we’re inviting research scientist Marcus Eriksen from 5 Gyres to the pod. Marcus tells us about his 88 day journey from California to Hawaii sailing on a raft made from 15,000 plastic bottles to research microplastics in the ocean an ... Show More
51m 4s
Jun 2024
Microplastics are everywhere. What can we do about it?
With every breath you take, you could be inhaling microplastics. Today, we talk about where they come from, how they impact our health and what we can do to avoid them in our daily lives. Read more: For years, scientists on the hunt for microplastics have found them almost everyw ... Show More
21m 15s