Dealing with Polymer Waste

Addition Polymers

What is polymer waste?

Discarded polymers or plastics that need to be disposed of after use.

Why are polymers widely used for everyday objects?

They can be mass-produced cheaply, made into many shapes, have a wide range of physical properties, are lightweight and are relatively unreactive.

Why is being unreactive an advantage of polymers?

It allows them to safely contain many substances for long periods without reacting or corroding.

Why are polymers often preferred to traditional materials?

They are often lighter, cheaper, resistant to chemical reactions and can be manufactured into a wide variety of shapes and properties.

What is landfill?

A method of waste disposal in which waste is buried in the ground.

Why has the use of landfill decreased?

Landfill space is limited and regulations or financial penalties encourage alternative methods of waste disposal.

What are the main ways of dealing with polymer waste?

Reduce polymer use, reuse materials, recycle polymers, incinerate them or develop biodegradable polymers.

How can unnecessary polymer waste be reduced?

By reducing the use of single-use plastics and reusing polymer products where possible.

What is recycling?

Converting polymer waste into other useful materials.

Give an example of recycling a polymer.

PET from plastic bottles can be recycled to make materials such as carpets.

What is PET?

Poly(ethylene terephthalate), a polymer widely used to make plastic bottles.

What is incineration?

Disposing of polymer waste by burning it.

What is an advantage of incinerating polymers?

Energy released by burning the polymers can be used to heat homes and factories or generate electricity.

Why can many polymers be used as fuels?

They contain mainly carbon and hydrogen and therefore release energy when burned.

What happens to the volume of waste during incineration?

It is greatly reduced because most atoms in the polymers form gaseous products.

What is a disadvantage of incinerating polymers?

It produces carbon dioxide and can produce toxic or harmful waste gases.

Why is carbon dioxide from incineration a problem?

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Why can burning PVC cause additional pollution?

PVC contains chlorine, so burning it can produce harmful chlorine-containing waste gases.

Why can some plastics produce toxic gases when incinerated?

They may contain elements such as chlorine or small amounts of toxic heavy metals from pigments.

How can the environmental impact of polymer incineration be reduced?

Waste gases can be treated to remove toxic pollutants before they are released into the atmosphere.

What is a biodegradable polymer?

A polymer that can be broken down by microorganisms in the environment.

Why are traditional plastics a problem in landfill?

Many are not biodegradable, so they remain in the environment for a very long time.

What is a biopolymer?

A biodegradable polymer, often made from plant material.

What is an advantage of biodegradable polymers?

Microorganisms can break them down, reducing the amount of persistent plastic waste.

Where are some biodegradable polymers used?

In medicine, including sutures (stitches) and drug delivery.

What is one disadvantage of biodegradable polymers made from plants?

Land is required to grow the plants used to manufacture them.

Why can growing plants for biodegradable polymers cause problems?

The land used to grow polymer crops could potentially be used to grow food.

What happens to biodegradable polymers after disposal?

Microorganisms break them down in the environment.

Why can biodegradable polymers make recycling resources more difficult?

When they break down, the carbon and hydrogen atoms they contain cannot be directly recovered and reused as polymer material.

What is the difference between disposal and incineration?

Disposal means removing or throwing away the polymer without specifying the method, whereas incineration specifically means disposing of it by burning.

What are the main advantages of incinerating polymer waste?

It reduces the amount of solid waste and releases useful energy that can be used for heating or generating electricity.

What is the main environmental disadvantage of incineration?

It releases greenhouse gases and potentially toxic pollutants into the atmosphere.

Why is recycling preferable to simply throwing polymers away?

It converts waste into useful materials and reduces the demand for new raw materials and landfill space.

Why are single-use plastics a particular waste problem?

They are discarded after a very short period of use, creating large quantities of polymer waste.