Provides technical and research information on the complex relationship between the plastic and polymer industry and the environment. This title focuses on the sustainability, environmental impact, and cost-benefit tradeoffs associated with different technologies.

The third section discusses the behavior of plastics in some of the environments in which they are typically used, such as the outdoors, in biotic environments, or in fires. The final section consists of chapters on recycling and thermal treatment of plastics waste. Chapters include: Commodity Polymers; Plastics in Transportation; Biodegradation of Common Polymers; Thermal Treatment of Polymer Waste; and Incineration of Plastics. The contributors also focus on the effectiveness of recent technologies in mitigating environmental impacts, particularly those for managing plastics in the solid waste stream. Plastic and design engineers, polymer chemists, material scientists, and ecologists will find "Plastics and the Environment" to be a vital resource to this critical industry.

Preface.Acknowledgments.Contributors.PART 1.An Environmental Primer (A. Andrady).Common Plastics Materials (A. Andrady).Polymers and Energy (I. Boustead)PART 2.Plastics in Packaging (S. Selke)Plastics in Agriculture (I. Hussain &
H. Hamid).Coatings (L. Hill).Wastes From Textiles Processing (B. Smith).PART 3.Environmental Effects on Polymeric Materials (N. Searle).Biodegradable Polymers (S. McCarthy).Plastics in the Marine Environment (M. Gregory and A. Andrady).Flammability of Polymers (A. Tewarson).Biodegradable Water-Soluble Polymers (G. Swift).PART 4.Polymers, Polymer Recycling, and Sustainability (J. Brandrup).Plastics Recycling (M. Fisher).Thermal Destruction of Wastes and Plastics (A. Gupta &
D. Lilley).Recycling of Carpet and Textile Fibers (Y. Wang, et al.).Polymers in Automobile Applications
(W. Lange).Index.