Disposal of Polymers (Cambridge (CIE) AS Chemistry)

Disposal of Polymers

• Poly(alkenes) are extremely important in everyday life, such as their use as plastics

• However, the disposal of these polymers is problematic

• Poly(alkenes) are very large alkane molecules which are unreactive and therefore do not undergo any chemical reactions; they are resistant to chemical attack

• Due to their unreactivity, polymers are non-biodegradable and take up to hundreds of years to decompose when dumped in landfill sites

  • Throwing away poly(alkenes) therefore causes long-term pollution of the environment

• Burning the polymers results in harmful combustion products which again cause the pollution of the environment