Rubber Band
Stephen Perry invented rubber band in March 17, 1845. Stephen Perry of the rubber manufacturing company Messers Perry and Co, Rubber Co Manuf London patented the fist rubber bands made of vulcanized rubber. Perry invented the rubber band to hold papers or envelopes together.
This machines were used to make rubber bands.
Natural rubber is made from latex, which is produced by the tree Hevea brasiliensis which is native to South America but is cultivated in Southeast Asia because there are no natural predators or diseases that affect it there. These trees are tapped for latex, but not killed, allowing them to continue to grow.
To provide land for rubber tree plantations, rainforest is logged and cleared. With the degrading air quality in that part of the world, this furthers an already serious problem. Government subsidies make is desirable t cut down rainforest and grow rubber trees.
Straw
Marvin C. Stone patented straw that is made of paper, in 1888. He came upon the idea while drinking a mint julep on a hot day in Washington, D.C.; the taste of the rye was mixing with the drink and giving it a grassy taste, which he found unsatisfactory.
Straws are made from a formulated blend of plastic resin, colorants, and other additives. Historically, straws have been made from paper but today polypropylene plastic is the material of choice. Polypropylene is a resin made by polymerizing, or stringing together, molecules of a propylene gas.Additional materials are added to the plastic formula to control the physical properties of the finished straw. Plasticizers (materials which improve the flexibility of the polypropylene) may be added to keep the resin from cracking.
In the mid-1950s, another boost to the straw industry occurred with the continued popularization of cars. Restaurants—spearheaded by McDonald’s—revolutionized the quick meal by replacing washable glassware with low-cost, disposable packaging for meals and drinks on the go. In the 1960s, plastic replaced paper, shifting straws from a renewable to an oil-based, single-use product.
The problem with straws is one of sheer volume. Although using one straw doesn’t seem like a big deal, Americans alone use an estimated 500 million straws every day. But there’s a problem with making more plastic straws. More plastic means that we need more oil and gas extraction and more electricity to power the plastic production.
Alumium Foil/Wire
The first aluminium foil. Tin was first replaced by aluminium in 1910, when the first aluminium foil rolling plant, “Dr. Lauber, Neher & Cie.” was opened in Emmishofen, Switzerland.
The wire was invented about 2,000 years ago. In 1873 Joseph Glidden, an American farmer, invented barbed wire similar to that in use today. Before the invention and general use of barbed wire, American farmers had to invest as much money in fencing as in livestock.
There was no clear information about wire machines or trade, but I found a wire machine from the past and current days.
Steel production has a number of impacts on the environment, including air emissions, wastewater contaminants, hazardous wastes, and solid wastes. The major environmental impacts from integrated steel mills are from coking and iron-making. Slag, the limestone and iron ore impurities collected at the top of the molten iron, make up the largest portion of iron-making by-products. Sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are volatized and captured in air emissions control equipment and the residual slag is sold to the construction industry. While this is not a pollution prevention technique, the solid waste does not reach landfills.
Source
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Drinking-Straw.html#ixzz58ZyvUFt3
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/steel-products-and-environmental-impact/
