Plastics can be molded into bottles or the body of a car or be mixed with solvents to become an adhesive or a paint. Elastomers and some plastics stretch and are very flexible. Polymers are materials with a seemingly limitless range of characteristics and colors. Polymers have many inherent properties that can be further enhanced by a wide range of additives to broaden their uses and applications. In addressing all the superior attributes of polymers, it is equally important to discuss some of the difficulties associated with the material.
Plastics deteriorate but never decompose completely, but neither does glass, paper, or aluminum.
Plastics make up 9.9 percent of our trash by weight compared to paper, which constitutes 39 percent. Glass and metals make up 13 percent by weight. In 1997, Americans produced 217 million tons of trash. Applications for recycled plastics are growing every day. Recycled plastics are used to make polymeric timbers for use in picnic tables, fences, and outdoor toys, thus saving natural lumber.