Plastic peril
The scale of the problem we're facing.
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Are plastics making men infertile?
Read now to access more details of Are plastics making men infertile?Our world has plastic running through it - but is the prevalence of plastics threatening our survival as a species?
Level: 1 Introductory
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Is your wash day polluting the oceans?
Read now to access more details of Is your wash day polluting the oceans?Every time you wash your clothes, microfibres escape into the environment. And that, explains Dr Natalie Welden, is a huge threat to our oceans.
Level: 1 Introductory
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Why do birds eat plastic?
Read now to access more details of Why do birds eat plastic?The photos of birds killed by bellies full of plastic waste are harrowing - but why do they eat the stuff in the first place? The OU's Miranda Dyson explains.
Level: 1 Introductory
Plastics Watch on the BBC
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BBC Plastics Watch
Learn more to access more details of BBC Plastics WatchClips, news, tips on how you can make a difference and more
Turning the tide
Different approaches, different futures.
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Plastic materials, pollution and recycling
Read now to access more details of Plastic materials, pollution and recyclingWhat benefits do plastics offer society? What can we do with used plastic to avoid damage to the environment? Simon Collinson investigates...
Level: 1 Introductory
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How has Teddy Kinyanjui taken plastic out of reforestation?
Read now to access more details of How has Teddy Kinyanjui taken plastic out of reforestation?Planting trees seems to be a good thing, ecologically. But... what if the saplings come wrapped in plastic bags? Kenyan Teddy Kinyanjui has come up with an elegant solution to take the plastic out of the forest.
Level: 1 Introductory
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Recycling: Putting consumers to work
Read now to access more details of Recycling: Putting consumers to workThe role of consumers play a vital part in waste management; Dr Katy Wheeler explores how in this article.
Level: 1 Introductory
Why plastic?
Why has the world become so dependent on plastics? Our video explains the value of plastic - and try a free course exploring the design and manufacturing processes which create our world.
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Fantastic plastic
Watch now to access more details of Fantastic plasticIt's such a key part of our lives - but what exactly is plastic, and how does it work?
Level: 1 Introductory
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Manufacturing
Learn more to access more details of ManufacturingHow are designs turned into products? What resources, materials and methods are used and what set of activities goes under the heading of 'manufacturing'? This free course will introduce manufacturing as a system and will describe some of the many different ways of making products. We will illustrate how the required properties of the materials ...
Level: 1 Introductory
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Introduction to polymers
Learn more to access more details of Introduction to polymersThis free course, Introduction to polymers, examines the use of polymers and demonstrates how their properties are controlled by their molecular structure. You will learn how this structure determines which polymer to use for a particular product. You will also explore the manufacturing techniques used and the how the use of polymerisation can ...
Level: 3 Advanced
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People-centred designing
Learn more to access more details of People-centred designingDesigned products surround us all and range from bus tickets to buildings. This free course, People-centred designing, focuses firmly on usability and the increasingly important phenomenon of people-centred design. It aims to inform consumers of design (i.e., all of us) about this crucial characteristic of design. In addition to stimulating ...
Level: 1 Introductory
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Article reviews
It would be nice if commercial plastics going forward were able to conglomerate. I propose an adhesive for this to make smaller pieces recoverable using boons and nets from shipping. The adhesive too would be biodegradable. LDPE perhaps.