Some plastics are “hidden” because they don’t
look
like traditional plastic products. These include
to-go coffee cups, plastic-coated paper plates, paper take-out boxes, and sugar packets
used by many every day. These hidden plastics are most often not recyclable due to the mixing of two very different materials; for example, paper and plastic.
Polystyrene, often called by its brand name
Styrofoam
, is in this mix of "hidden" plastics too because people don’t always realize that this soft and fluffy stuff is really plastic.
Our Week 4 Challenge is to find out where HIDDEN PLASTICS are lurking in your life!