Word: plastics
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...industry. Light, shock-resistant, insulating and cheap to make, it shows up everywhere: in disposable coffee cups, in boxes that hold fast-food hamburgers, as packing "peanuts" for safe shipping. But the stuff has a serious downside as well. Polystyrene is bulky, taking up space in landfills; as a plastic, it takes decades to decompose; its manufacture causes the release of hazardous chemicals; and the market for recycling it is hopelessly limited. Environmentalists have argued for years that the foam should simply be banned...
...possible substitute for some uses of polystyrene comes straight from nature. To replace the plastic-foam pellets that are used to protect delicate merchandise during shipping, at least two companies in California are trying to market a biodegradable, in fact edible, alternative: popcorn. The drawbacks are that it is more expensive to produce than polystyrene pellets and tends to ) attract rodents and insects. Nonetheless, a handful of mail-order companies and other shippers in the U.S., Canada and Europe have begun packing with popcorn (butter and salt not included). Such small innovations, along with dramatic shifts by companies like McDonald...
...Kurzon asked students to separate their paper cups from the regular trash Tuesday in order to get a better estimate of how much paper is used. The two activists had planned to display the bags of disposed cups in the Union lobby the next day while selling reusable plastic mugs, they said...
...call it, it's the most ubiquitous and onomatopoetic toy in 20 years. That's how long ago the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the original clackers, which were often made of ceramic. Connected by ropes, they sometimes shattered on impact. But the 1990s model is made entirely of plastic and is apparently harmless -- except to the sanity of adults. (Retail prices: $1.50 to $5.) One company to thank for this is Classic Items of Chicago. It has sold 2.5 million of its version, the Klika, since April. A Seattle company, Fascinations Toys and Gifts, has sold...
...body of a Saturn is built atop a very rigid space frame, which gives structural integrity and protection for passengers. The space frame is not unique to Saturn, but it supports a special feature: all the vertical body panels (doors, fenders, quarter panels) attached to it are made of plastic polymer, which doesn't rust and resists low-velocity denting. The horizontal panels are still made of steel...