Many of the products we buy today are made from, or contain, plastic. Imagine how headphones or computers might look without plastics.
This activity will allow your club to explore how to make plastics, and experiment with different ideas for applications. This session needs two club slots which are a week or more apart. Following the extras will create a longer project.
Plastic is traditionally made from crude oil, which is a non-renewable fossil fuel. Oil is also a ready made fuel which is cheap to convert into energy, but when burnt gives off atmospheric pollutants, including greenhouse gases, and we only have a limited supply.
Although we are increasing how much plastic we recycle, we need to look for alternative raw materials for making new plastics so that we do not waste the oil we have left, and to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.