plastics

why plastics are not recyclable 

Plastics are not recyclable.There are many types of plastics but they fall into two major group,thermoset and thermoplastics. Thermoset plastics are rigid {hard} plastics that is used to make toys and electronic appliances. These plastics will partially burn and take millions of years to break down. Thermoplastics are easily melted down and can be recycled. However, thermoset plastics burn with an acrid smell, produces dioxins, and products with flame retardants  release many toxins. As a result, these can cause severe health problems like cancer, neurological damage, birth defects and child developmental disorders.

Where do this plastics go?. Firstly we use an average of 100 kilos of plastic packaging every year. Less than 10% of the plastic used is recycled. The remaining 33 million tons goes to waste, with 22-43% ending up in landfills, and the rest being destroyed or littered.thermoset plastics take 200 to 400 years for decomposition. Secondly  the plastics that are not recyclable end up in the landfills and the oceane. Thermoplastics In the landfill, can take 10 years, to 50 years to fully degrade. Dumps, and landfills plastics blow over to streams and rivers, and are carried to oceans or are washed up on beaches.Eighty percent of marine waste comes from land sources and an additional 20% is dumped by ocean liners and platforms.

Does it affect us? The toxic chemicals in thermoset plastic interact with water and drain into the ground and pollute groundwater, harming wildlife and people.Thermoset Plastic uses bisphenol A (BPA), a carcinogen, and more recently bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) as hardening agents that can cause a high risk of cancer. Other chemicals are added as flame-retardants or coloring agents which can affect hormone activity and asthma .Acid and BPA, contained in food packaging and medical devices, are mostly found in 90% of premature babies.

Lastly the largest impact of plastics has been on marine ecosystems.10% of plastics produced end up in the oceans. As a result,  Three hundred species of animals ingest plastic mistaking it for food, for example sea-turtles mistake thermoset plastics for jellyfish. Nearly 100,000 animals die every year, some starve to death as plastics fill their bellies and there is no place left for food.

laser cutting & 3D printing

laser cutting

laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials such as plastics and wood and is mostly used for industrial manufacturing applications. A laser cutter can only cut a piece that is in detail and in high definition.The laser optics and CNC (computer numerical control) are used to direct the material or the laser beam generated.

3D printing 

3D printing is the process where materials are joined under computer control to make a 3D object. There are many different technologies, used in the 3D printing process. The most common by number of users being fused deposit modeling (FDM).  usually done by  adding material layer by layer.

People in the amazon rain forest

People in the amazon rain forest

The Matses tribe are the traditional people depending on hunting wild game, such as the peccary and tapir with bows and arrow. They live along the Javari river in the remote areas of amazon rainforest in peru and brazil. As indigenous people they use small scale swidden ( slash and burn) for farming. After years of farming and cut-down of rainforest nutrients are washed away by the heavy rains and the soil are infertile. Missionaries have encouraged assimilation into modern culture. It has affected the matses through discrimination ,outside influences, lost interest and feel ashamed by their own culture.

Discuss whether the change in life style of the Matses is positive or negative change

positive because negative because

they live longer lost interest in culture

better food discrimination

jobs feel ashamed of their culture

money influenced