In the early 20th century, plastics were quite a novelty; there were only a handful of plastics and very few uses. Zoom the clock forward 100 years and it's hard to find things that we don't use plastics for. Materials science means understanding the properties of different materials so we can use them to best advantage in the world around us. Given what we've just learned about the properties of plastics, it comes as no surprise to find them helping us out in building construction, clothing, packaging, transport, and in many other parts of everyday life.
In buildings, you'll find plastics in things like secondary glazing, roofs, heat insulation and soundproofing, and even in the paints you slap on your walls. There are plastics insulating your electrical cables and carrying water and waste-water in and out of your home. Look around you now and you'll see plastics everywhere, from picture frames and lamp shades to the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet. How do all these things get into your life? Up to a third of all the plastic we use finds its way into the packaging we use to protect products (sometimes even plastic products) on the journey from factory to home.
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