Plastic is being used to make more and more products all the time. It can be widely recycled and can be made to be extremely hardwearing, with many new plastics being so robust that metal almost seems to no longer be necessary. So does that mean that, before long, plastic will actually replace metal?
The most likely answer is no. For one, whilst it may seem that plastic can do everything metal can do there are many physical properties that plastic will never be able to replicate. With it being unable to conduct heat or electricity, even simple every day items made of metal will very much need to be created from the material above any other.
However, this is not the only reason why plastic will never be able to take metals place. Ultimately, metal also has a certain aesthetic quality that plastic will never be able to imitate. From ornaments within the house to more practical items such as wrought iron furniture, trying to create the same items from plastic will almost always fail.
The classic look of metal furniture is an example in place, as it can add character, strength and beauty to both the indoors and outdoors, whilst also being able to be far more durable too. Plastic may well be able to sit out all year round, but the first sign of heavy gales and suddenly it will be in pieces in next doors garden. Metal furniture meanwhile will stay sturdy no matter what and offer elegance that no other material can match.
And it is this timeless elegance, rather than simply its physical properties, than will mean that no matter how much plastic evolves, it will never be able to satisfy us in the way metal can. So no matter whether you are looking at wrought iron furniture for the garden or a lampshade for your bedroom, you can be safe in the knowledge that metal will almost always give you a far better result than plastic ever will.