[shadowofneptune]

> If he “was on a deserted island and [plastic] was all that was available,” Rogers says he’d opt for types two [High-Density Polyethylene] and five [Polypropylene]. These are both higher density formulas, used to contain liquids and manufacture items like the rigid plastic forks dispensed at your local takeout restaurant. They have a higher melting point, “and they also don’t tend to chip or shatter as much,” says Rogers. (Still, Hussain’s team found these types of containers shed plenty of microplastics when heated.)

This the part I feel should be focused on. HDPE is notable for being safe to handle during its entire lifecycle, from production to use to recycling. Even when pushed well past its softening point, it does not create any hazardous fumes. A sustainable future does not mean avoiding the use of plastics entirely, it means identifying which are the most useful in the long-term.

[developer93]

"Still, Hussain’s team found these types of containers shed plenty of microplastics when heated.)"

[bradfa]

Nalgene make HDPE water bottles now. They’re really durable. I’ve had two as my daily use bottles for about 4 years and they’re as durable or more durable than the hard plastic Nalgene bottles I used before.

[mauvehaus]

They've made HDPE bottles for a while. When I was guiding canoe trips 20 years ago, the wisdom among the guides was that the HDPE ones will float, even if you fully submerge them with the cap off, whereas the Lexan ones will sink.

[nytesky]

Aren’t the HDPE Nalgene the original one carried in the 90s, then polycarbonate came out, whoops BPE then transition to Lexan?

I loved the HDPE and appreciated it was likely the most inert (aren’t milk jugs HDPE?), but my family says it imparts a taste so we have a ton of Lexan.

[kayfox]

Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate.

[KennyBlanken]

Given one I purchased became brittle and shattered a few years after I bought it, I'd dispute that.

[stjohnswarts]

probably fine just don't drink hot soup/coffee out of it. I've long since switched over to a glass lined beverage container after I found out about microplastics.

[Robotbeat]

PE and PP are also the cheapest and most common plastics.

They are NOT very stiff, tho.

[Hextinium]

HDPE is very stiff, MDPE is kinda stiff and LDPE is flimsy. Same monomer just cross linked differently with a different production process. Plastic is chemistry magic.

[dragontamer]

It's just carbon and hydrogen chains. How complex can it be? Surely not so complex to require its own field.

/s

For those unaware of the joke, Organic Chemistry is quite complex. Hydrogen+Carbon can make plastic or Gasoline depending on the details of how it chains.

[Robotbeat]

I’m aware, but HDPE is less stiff than other commodity plastics like ABS or PLA.

[xeonmc]

PE are essentially just really long fats.

[vlabakje90]

This is false. PE is made up of hydrocarbon chains. Fats are made of fatty acids esterified to a polyol backbone, commonly glycerol.

[xeonmc]

If we're talking about chemical consequences of alkanes vs carboxylic acids, yes. However, the parent topic is talking about the effect of burning plastics, for which consideration it can be thought of as burning fat in that it (as opposed to other plastics where the byproduct cannot be compared to just burning fat.