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plastic
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Images & Videos
plastic soft-drink bottles automobile interior compact discs
The video thumbnail image shows a person's hand holding small fragments of colorful plastic.
amorphous and semicrystalline polymer morphologies Banbury mixer section of a screw extruder of thermoplastic polymers blow extrusion of thermoplastic polymers injection molding of thermoplastic polymers blow molding of plastic containers
For Students
plastic items being sorted at a recycling centre
plastics summary
Quizzes
Laboratory glassware (beakers)
Know Your Chemistry Quiz
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Videos

What are microplastics?
What lies beneath? Plastic, probably.
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
How to clean up Earth's oceans
The Ocean Cleanup wants to rid the world's oceans of plastic.
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The science and sustainability of bioplastics
Understanding how plastic is made and how researchers are working to make it greener.
Video: © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
The impact of plastic waste on marine life
Learn how plastic debris affects the Pacific Ocean.
Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Evgeniy Parilov/Dreamstime.com
Major types of pollution explained
Learn more about the major kinds of pollution in this infographic explainer.
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
upcycling plastic bags
Upcycling plastic bags into battery parts.
Video: © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Learn about microplastic and its harmful effect on marine animals
The problem of tiny, hard-to-detect plastic particles in Earth's oceans.
Video: © MinuteEarth (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Explore how plastic is recycled into insulation and other building materials
Learn about the recycling of plastic bottles, which diverts waste from landfills...
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

plastic soft-drink bottles
Plastic soft-drink bottles are commonly made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
SMC
automobile interior
Most automobile interiors today are made largely of plastic parts.
© Sudheer Sakthan/Shutterstock.com
compact discs
Compact discs are made from tough, highly transparent polycarbonate plastic.
© Cdonofrio/Dreamstime.com
amorphous and semicrystalline polymer morphologies
(Left) Volume-temperature diagram for amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, showing...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Banbury mixer
The Banbury mixer, used for mixing polymers and additives in the manufacture of plastic...
Courtesy of Farrel Corporation
section of a screw extruder of thermoplastic polymers
Longitudinal section of a screw extruder of thermoplastic polymers. Plastic pellets...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
blow extrusion of thermoplastic polymers
Molten extrudate is forced past a tubing mandrel, expanded into a balloon shape by...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
injection molding of thermoplastic polymers
(Left) Plastic pellets are fed from a hopper into a reciprocating screw injection...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
blow molding of plastic containers
(Counterclockwise from top) A molten polymer is extruded into a hollow tube-shaped...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
polystyrene
Polystyrene packaging.
Acdx
plastic items being sorted at a recycling centre
Plastic items being sorted at a recycling centre.
© DragonImages/stock.adobe.com
plastic
Workers in a Bolivian plastics factory. Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely known for its...
© Peter McFarren/Bolivian Photo Agency

Podcasts

“The Dark Side of the Plastic Age”
John Rafferty of Encyclopædia Britannica, Dr. Chelsea Rochman of the University of...
VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: