Plastic From Oranges Most plastics are made from crude oil, a non-renewable resource found deep beneath the earth’s surface. To extract and turn crude oil into plastic, we need a lot of energy. Plastic has amazing qualities but it takes hundreds of years to break down, unlike natural materials such as wood or cotton. We are finding new ways of making plastic that can decompose, using abundant, renewable resources such as waste from food and farming. After being used, plastic made from plants could dissolve in water or be composted – ideal for packaging! For example, scientists