Can we live without plastic? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Is it time to start living without plastic? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. 👇👇👇

❓❓❓ This week's question: Which items did plastic first replace?
a) Snooker balls
b) Shopping bags
c) Hairbrushes

[Cover: Getty Images]

You can download audio and a free programme transcript here 👉

Vocabulary:
✔️single-use plastic - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away
✔️microbeads - tiny plastic particles found in personal care products like toothpastes and body scrubs
✔️synthetic - non-natural; made by combining artificial man-made chemicals
✔️biodegrade - decay naturally, in a way that is not harmful
✔️few and far between - very rare; not happening very often
✔️unsightly - ugly; unattractive; unpleasant to look at

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[bbclearningenglish]

Do you think that you could live without plastic? What would be the most difficult things to live without?

[engvoice]

VOCABULARY FROM VIDEO:
A big thank you to BBC Learning English for this insightful video. It sheds light on the environmental impact of plastic, prompting us to reconsider our relationship with this versatile yet challenging material.

VOCABULARY:

0. Single-use Plastics (noun phrase) 00:42
-Context: 'pollution caused by single use plastics – plastic products designed to be used just once'
-Explanation: Single-use plastics are items intended for one-time use, contributing significantly to global pollution.

1. Microbeads (noun) 01:08
-Context: 'tiny plastic pieces known as microbeads found inside the human body'
-Explanation: Microbeads are minuscule plastic particles present in products like toothpaste, posing environmental and health risks.

2. Synthetic (adjective) 05:28
-Context: 'Plastic is synthetic, made by combining manmade chemicals.'
-Explanation: Synthetic refers to materials produced by combining artificial chemicals, contrasting with naturally occurring substances.

3. Biodegrade (verb) 05:38
-Context: 'plastic doesn't biodegrade - it doesn't decay naturally'
-Explanation: Biodegrade means the natural breakdown of a material without harming the environment.

4. Few and Far Between (phrase) 05:43
-Context: 'plastic-eating microbes are few and far between - rare'
-Explanation: Few and far between means something is very rare or occurs infrequently.

5. Unsightly (adjective) 05:49
-Context: 'waste which is often unsightly - ugly and unpleasant to look at'
-Explanation: Unsightly describes something that is visually unappealing and unpleasant.
I posted more learning listening video on my youtube too!

[whoisinnocent.]

I have learnt English for a long time. But i was hesitant to choose a video. I stumbled across BBC podcasts and gradually it affects my english. Thanks for your contributions to English learners!

[WonderSpaceU]

I'm learning English and I use BBC English videos for improve my speaking and listening skills.

[mr_Abdunosir]

I am used to write full transcriptions of programme to catch each word. why english is not spoken in my town❤but making enviroment is easy with BBC😊goodluck Neil, Sam, Beth, Georgy❤

[nmynmynmy]

I was looking forward to the new podcast coming.By the way I love the harmony between Neil and Beth. Thank you.

[pawslover]

In my opinion, we would not be able to live without plastic. Nowadays, plastic plays a pivotal role in our society, not only to provide paramount convenience to every human but also to reduce the cost of manufacturing different products. Different plastic products have already become an ubiquitous part of our everyday lives, such as plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic containers, it will be a great challenge if we want to get rid of plastic as people have familiarised with the lives of plastic. Some people may argue that we can use other materials like metal or paper to replace plastic, in fact, it is not feasible as those natural resources are limited, the amount available is not enough to satisfy the growing population and consumption. Also, extraction of metal requires a large amount of electricity which is generally generated by burning fossil fuels, at the same time, cutting down trees will also cause a more severe air pollution.
In this tech-savvy era, smartphones will definitely be the most difficult things to live without because people depend too much on the social media platforms and electronic payment systems, they may have adversities when facing some daily tasks if they have their phones locked. Furthermore, smartphones is the most common way to contact others, thus living without smartphones will be a thorny problem

[ちょこあんぱん-lo]

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Beth
And I’m Beth. “Plastic is fantastic!” This phrase was used a lot in the 1950s when mass- produced plastic items started to become part of our everyday lives. The following decades saw a revolution as plastic became the most commonly used material in modern life, found in everything from cars to furniture to packaging. Take a quick look around and you’ll soon see how many everyday items contain plastic.

Neil
But now our love of plastic is being questioned, mostly thanks to climate change and pollution caused by single-use plastics – plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away. 11 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year. It’s believed that single-use plastics make up 40% of all plastic pollution globally.

Beth
What’s more, it’s not just land and water being polluted – tiny plastic pieces known as microbeads have even been found inside the human body, and can be passed from mother to child through breast milk. And because plastic comes from fossil fuels, the process of making it creates problems at every stage, from burning coal, to transportation, to recycling. In this programme, we’ll be asking: is it time to live without plastic? And, as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Neil
But first I have a question for you, Beth. One reason why plastic became so popular is that it’s a very flexible material. It can be formed into different shapes, making it useful for keeping food fresh, or holding liquid. Originally, plastic was invented to replace the decreasing supply of natural materials like metal, wood and glass. So which items did plastic first replace? Was it:

a) snooker balls?
b) shopping bags? or,
c) hairbrushes?

Beth
Hmm, I guess the first thing to be made of plastic was a hairbrush.

Neil
OK, Beth, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Dr Sherri Mason is Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University in the US, and a specialist in plastic pollution. Her award-winning 2017 research into microplastics in rivers led to the US Congress banning microbeads. Here, she explains the problem of plastics to BBC World Service programme, The Real Story:

Dr Sherri Mason
Plastic is synthetic and, as a consequence of that, nature doesn't really know what to do with it. Like, a paper bag that's sitting on the side of the road - it's unsightly but within weeks there are organisms in the soil that can use that paper bag as a food source, right… they have evolved to basically chew up that paper bag and turn it back into soil, turn it back into carbon and nitrogen and oxygen. But with regard to plastic because it is a synthetic material you don't have that evolution. There are some organisms that can use it as a food source, but they're few and far between, especially when you're talking about water systems, aquatic systems and the temperatures that exist, and so they can't really use it as a food source so plastic doesn't biodegrade…

Beth
Plastic is a synthetic material, meaning that it’s made by combining man-made chemicals, instead of existing naturally. Natural materials like paper decay and harmlessly turn back into soil – they biodegrade. But plastic is not like this. It doesn’t decay and get broken down by microbes and bacteria.

Neil
In fact, some plastic-eating microbes and bacteria do exist, but these are few and far between, they’re rare, and don’t happen very often. It’s the fact that plastic doesn’t decay which is responsible for the waste we see in the environment, waste which is often unsightly, meaning ugly and unpleasant to look at.

Beth
Fortunately, help is at hand. The plastic-eating microbes Neil mentioned, especially one called Rhodococcus ruber, have been tested by scientists and seem capable of breaking down plastic into its basic components. What’s also needed is an emphasis on reducing plastic production, especially packaging and other single-use products, rather than simply recycling. Action like this should help plastic achieve its original purpose – to help preserve, not pollute, our natural resources. And speaking of the origins of plastic, isn’t it time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil?

Neil
Right. I asked you which object made of natural materials was the first to be replaced by plastic. You said it was a hairbrush which was… the wrong answer I'm afraid, Beth. In fact the first plastic-moulding machine was used in 1872 to produce snooker balls. OK let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme starting with single-use plastics - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away.

Beth
Microbeads are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpastes and body scrubs which can enter and pollute rivers, seas, and the human body.

Neil
The adjective synthetic describes a non-natural material made by combining chemicals.

Beth
To biodegrade means to decay naturally, in a way that is not harmful to the environment.

Neil
The phrase few and far between means very rare or not happening very often.

Beth
And finally, if something is described as unsightly, it’s ugly and unpleasant to look at. Once again our six minutes are up. Join us next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!

Neil
Goodbye!

[radwaelpardisy-pygt]

I always listen to 6 minute English videos and share it with my friends in order to upgrade our level and enhance listening and speaking skills ❤❤❤❤

[royall_editz]

I watch bbc learning engilish channel's daily videos for improving my speaking level and vocabulary level ❤

[meltemozcan]

Bbc learning English İs the most useful programme👏👏👏

[Mirshodsss]

@bbclearningenglish thank you for everything

[lilianatria]

Plastic is the most brilliant and worst invention at the same time

[keyne]

Current i'm learning English and suddenly i got this video, it's really helpful for my learning.❤❤

[yagolof]

From my point of view plastic can reduce the pollution especially water polluting. So, We should use carton boxes instead of plastics. It's easy to save fruits and other things in the boxes.

[koweihuang]

Thank you for the article, I found it quite intriguing.

[Zebuniso-jbjc]

I used to didn't understand your sentences 😅. Because I am learning English. Firstly it become difficult. Moreover I think I able to it . Your pronounce is so beautiful Beth Sam Phil and Neil😊😊😊

[PhuongNguyen-lsyr]

In my opinion, It's hard to phrase out plastic products due to several reasons:
Firstly, it is inexpensive material, light and convenient. A lot of items can be reduced in price after changing their original material to plastic.
Secondly, people are used to it, for example, plastic bags. I believe that all of us know they are harmful to the environment but it's hard to stop using them.

[Clara-rs]

This topic is quite meaningful as single-use plastic has caused a lot of pollution to the environment. In nowadays, more the more brands and stores choose to use degradable plastic rather than the old one. Although the price is higher, it's more friendly to our living environment.

[ayujohana]

This podcast can be used as a medium to learn and practice English listening. Thank youu