We made plastic. We depend on it. Now, we’re drowning in it.
As the world produced its first plastic-bakelite, in 1907, no one had predicted that this miracle material will one day threaten to choke our very existence. While plastic is practical and handy in the function of modern life , we have become fixated on single-use or disposable plastics- without realizing the environmental consequences. Plastic waste is so extensive that the scientists have suggested that it could serve as a geological indicator of the Anthropocene era. Earlier in the lifespan of the plastic, that is, from the 1950’s to the 70’s, the plastic waste was relatively manageable. But by the 1990’s the production and waste tripled. Today, we produce more than 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. These trends are brisk and daunting us the way nothing has ever before. Most plastics are produced from chemicals derived from non-renewable resources like oil and natural gas. If we continue to move in the current direction and not check our ways, by 2050, the pla...