It’s virtually impossible to get through the day without using plastic, but it’s only been widely available to consumers for about 100 years. We find out what plastic is, why it’s so useful, and whether we should be concerned about its widespread use. Dr. Mark Michalovic is Educational Consultant with the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Robert Malloy of UMass Lowell is a researcher in the areas of plastics product design, polymer processing, recycling of thermoplastics.