Plastics and Recycling
The purpose of this unit is to introduce science students to plastics and their properties and how these relate to recycling issues. The unit starts by introducing polymers, their structure, and their properties. The discussion extends into the assorted types of commonly used plastics and the general properties of each. After introducing polymers, the focus turns to the recycling process. The various plastic recycling codes are related to the earlier polymer discussion. Finally, an activity for students is included in which they get to test different plastic types and see how the properties relate to the recycling process.