Plastics - Did we dig our own grave by inventing it?
‘Plastic’ is essentially the condensed form of ‘thermoplastics,’ which describes polymers that can be moulded and shaped upon application of heat. These long chains attribute plastics with critical physical properties such as toughness, strength, and durability. Plastics are a long chain of molecules typically derived from crude oil and natural gas. Polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene) are the most commonly produced synthetic polymers around the world. Polyolefins are combined with several other materials while making multi-plastic, and they are impossible to recycle. They can survive for centuries in our environment and degrade painfully slowly. According to an estimate, about 5 trillion plastic bags are used every year in the world. Plastics are ubiquitous as one can find it in any place on our earth. It is no surprise that plastic waste has already reached the deepest part of our ocean, Mariana trench as well the highest peak of the world, Mt. Everest. Commonly sight