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Plastics
How many plastic things do you own?

Plastics

This Geography quiz is called 'Plastics' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at middle school. Playing educational quizzes is a fabulous way to learn if you are in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade - aged 11 to 14.

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The topic of plastics covers several key areas of study based on urbanization, sustainability and waste management. You are expected to know that solid wastes, including plastics, end up being recycled/reused, as litter, in landfills or being incinerated to produce energy. Incineration can only be done in certain places (such as the Nottingham district heating network) where the conditions are carefully controlled to avoid toxic materials like dioxins and furans being emitted into the atmosphere.

Using plastics is an unsustainable use of the Earth's resources. The majority of plastics are made using chemicals that have been extracted or made from crude oil. Crude oil is a non-renewable resource therefore, at some point in the future, science and technology will need to find alternative ways of making plastics, or the human race will need to do without them.

Since the end of the 20th century, more and more plastics are being recycled and a small proportion are being reused. There are some plastics that you can't recycle and they are also difficult to reuse, these are the ones that end up in landfill, along with items like plastic carrier bags, and bin bags, which are designed to be thrown away.

Rapid urbanization, particularly in LEDCs, has lead to the development of squatter settlements. These are also referred to as slums, shanty towns and townships and each country has its own name for them e.g. bustees in India. They are illegal and usually spring up on wasteland in a city or at the edges of cities. They generate large amounts of waste which can easily find its way into the environment. Plastics are a particular problem as they are light and are easily blown around by the wind. Some of the more forward-thinking local authorities seek to make the lives of people in squatter settlements and the surrounding environment better by implementing waste management schemes for these areas. The plastics can then be processed appropriately.

When plastics get into the environment, they pose a hazard to wildlife and potentially to human health too. Animals can become entrapped in bottles and other plastic waste and die a slow and unpleasant death. An example of this is nylon fishing line that is discarded by anglers - land birds and water birds can become entangled and are slowly strangled to death. Larger plastic containers can hold water and act as breeding grounds for insects like mosquitoes, which transmit various diseases to humans - zika, dengue fever and malaria are just three of them.

In MEDCs, local authorities manage waste disposal by providing several different types of bin for waste and recycling different materials. Some communities also provide recycling centers where local residents can take their waste plastic, glass and other materials to be recycled. It is also possible for residents to take a mixture of household waste by car to a collection point where it is sorted to allow recycling.

1.
Which of the following is a hazard from plastic waste?
It can cause cars to skid and crash
It gets wrapped round boat propellers and causes them to sink
Wildlife can get stuck in items of plastic waste
It blows into doorways and suffocates homeless people while they are asleep
There are many ways that plastic waste can cause harm to wildlife, often leading to a slow and unpleasant death
2.
Most plastics are not biodegradable. This means...
they are easily digested by animals
they are easily digested by bacteria
they are not easily broken down in the environment
they don't contain any bacteria in their structure
This is one reason why as much plastic waste as possible should be recycled
3.
Why is plastic waste a problem when it gets into the environment?
It rots down forming a gooey mess
It causes trees to die
It does not rot away
Rotting plastics give off toxic gasses
Plastics that are discarded today could still be around hundreds of years from now
4.
Squatter settlements create plastic waste that often ends up in the environment rather than landfills. Why?
Squatters put it there
There is nowhere else to put it
Animals come in at night and carry it away thinking it is food
There are few waste collections so waste is often just left as piles in the street
Many plastic items are light and easily spread by wind and water. Any waste left in the areas between the buildings ends up being blown somewhere else or into nearby water courses
5.
Which of the following statements about plastic waste is untrue?
Humans generate very little plastic waste
Plastic waste is light and easily spread by wind and water
Plastic waste lasts longer than most other types of waste
Burning plastic waste on a fire releases harmful gasses into the air
Many objects we use daily are made from plastics
6.
Plastic waste gets into the environment from squatter settlements. What is a squatter settlement?
A community in which everyone spends more time sitting down than standing
A community of environmentally-concerned people
People living in a house that is not theirs
A community that has been built illegally in or at the edge of a city
They are usually built by people who can't afford proper housing in the city
7.
Which of the following is/are sources of plastic waste?
The sea
Packaging
Crude oil
All of the above
Tricky to get right because the seas of the world contain a lot of plastic waste but they are not a source of it. Plastic is made from crude oil, but until the plastic has been used and then discarded, it is not waste
8.
How is plastic waste a threat to human health?
It gives off toxic fumes
It provides breeding grounds for insects like mosquitoes
It dissolves into the water supply
It is highly flammable
Mosquitoes carry several diseases that infect humans. In squatter settlements, there is little or no medical help, people are undernourished and more likely to die from the diseases
9.
In a LEDC, why is plastic waste more of a problem in urban areas compared to rural areas?
Rural populations in LEDCs buy fewer consumer items and packaged items
There are usually less well-developed waste management systems in urban areas of LEDCs
Rural to urban migration leads to the establishment of illegal squatter settlements
All of the above
LEDCs have lower literacy levels than MEDCs so educating the population about waste management is much more difficult
10.
When plastics are burnt, they release greenhouse gasses and produce toxic gasses but despite this, they are sometimes incinerated. Why?
They release a lot of energy when they are burnt
It is very easy to remove the carbon dioxide and toxic gasses from the exhaust gasses
It is illegal to put them into a landfill site
When they rot down, they pollute the water supply
Not all local authority incinerators are suitable for burning plastics
Author:  Kev Woodward

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