Skylab during its first manned mission deployed a parasol-like sunshade through a small instrument port from the inside of the station, bringing station temperature down to acceptable levels and preventing overheating that would have melted the plastic insulation inside the station and release poisonous gas.
Plastics are invading all spheres of life wreaking havoc with our health. Even the kerbal space is not spared. Heat, repeated washing, acidity and alkalinity cause the BPA in plastics to leach.
It has become an inseparable part of life. So the solution left is to recycle plastic or reduce the usage of plastic (3Rs). Refer this article (http://www.gorillabins.ca/blog/12-facts-about-recycling/) which says plastics take between 100 and 400 years to break down in the landfill. Using recycled material utilize only two-thirds of the energy needed to manufacture them from raw materials.