Kickstart: No eclipse glasses? How about making a PVC viewing tube?

If you haven't gotten your hands on a pair of eclipse glasses yet, well, I'm not sure if you're going to have any luck in the next few hours. The total eclipse, visible in a band stretching across Mexico, the United States and Canada, will take place between about 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern time today — depending on your location. It's too late to place an online order, although some retailers may have a few in stock.

One last-minute option, though, is Warby Parker, a maker of popular eyeglasses.

"As avid supporters of sharp vision, we want to make sure you have everything you need to safely witness this celestial spectacle," the company announced on its website, saying it would give away certified solar eclipse glasses at its stores from April 1 "until the big day" with the caveat of "while supplies last."

While you could always make a pinhole camera using a box, foil, paper and a few other supplies, there's also an alternative with a plastics angle: a solar eclipse viewing tube.

Autodesk Inc.'s website has instructions for a viewer made with PVC pipe, clamps, cheap reading glasses, a mirror and other items generally available at a hardware store. The tube version projects onto a viewing screen, making it easier for a group to watch together.

Michigan Medicine, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based health care system attached to the University of Michigan, has launched its first "large-scale medical plastics recycling initiative," starting in the operating rooms of its C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital.

Medical waste is difficult to recycle because there's such a high risk of contamination along with complex multimaterial products.

Michigan Medicine conducted a six-month trial of plastics recycling in 2021, collecting 2.5 tons of plastics for recycling. Much of its success, it said in 2023, was due to collecting flexible blue overwrap used to package surgical items.

Local TV station CBS Detroit visited C.S. Mott to talk with nurses and doctors about the effort. Staff there said in the first three months, they collected more than 5,000 pounds of medical plastics. It plans to roll out the program to other hospitals soon.

Three men with a combined 100 years worth of experience and knowledge have stepped away from the plastics industry.

Plastics News' Frank Esposito writes in his blog that Brian Pruett of Chemical Data Inc., Dwight Morgan from M. Holland Co. and Covestro veteran Bob Walker all recently began their retirement. Their departures are part of a generational shift that has been seeing a lot of people transitioning out of the industry for some well-deserved rest.

"Plastics has been a fantastic place to make a career," Morgan said. "It gets in your DNA and it's hard to leave."