A brief history of plastic
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For centuries, billiard balls were made of ivory from elephant tusks. But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline, they began to look for alternatives. John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge. In five years, he invented a new material called celluloid, which would become known as the first plastic. Trace the history of the material that ushered in the “plastics century.”
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I think there are environmentally-friendly alternatives because plastic was a alternative more elephant and people needed to look for it. So if people look for it, they could find something environmentally-friendly alternatives.
We are Human Beings, therefore, we are able to think! At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the excessive huntings to elephants because of their tusks, there was a decreasing in the elephant populations and a solution was found! Scientists looked for another material and they found PLASTIC! Therefore, we are able to find environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic!
I totally agree, I think it isn´t the fact that we can´t find one or don´t know how to create it (because, as you said, we can THINK!), it is that we haven´t accepted it as a real problem, in the 20th century, making billiard balls with elephants wasn´t a problem till it became evident that thy´re population was growing smaller, and in my opinion, it is happenning exactly the same now, we won´t really worry about inventing an alternative till the consequences are right in front of us, though (which also gives an answer for the discussion about if we still have time) then, though I´m not saying it would be impossible, it would definitely be way harder than if we worried about it NOW that is still not so large a problem.
I don't think so because people throw away plastic everywhere without thinking the damage they are doing to others.
"Yeah, there are alternatives. I just can't list them all." - Alexandre P. Matos
Yes, we can use paper bag instead of plastic bag.
I think that if there are several ecological options but that there is not abundance in the market because of how expensive they are since they have not been optimized as it has been done with plastic.
I think that it depends of what we want to do, i mean the plastic is a material that is recyclable 100%, so if we recycle all the single-use plastic it is going to be a environmentally-friendly alternative, but the problem her is that it is kind of difficult to recycle 100% of that plastic, because all the comunity wont colaborate with this.
I think is possible, for example a long time ago the use of straw is in decrease, that's a good job of many people, a little thing but it's something.
if there are, only that they can be more expensive alternatives