ABSTRACT
Plastics is one of the major constituents of municipal solid waste and it is also one of the rapidly growing household waste streams. Almost all consumer products that we buy today use some form of plastics. Although plastics were once considered and embraced as ‘magical’ materials, the planet is now drowning in plastics and plastic-related waste. The very characteristics of plastic material, e.g. low-degradability that gives plastics its unique characteristics has now been considered as one of the biggest concerns for scientists and communities to manage it sustainably. According to a recent study, globally we have generated 8.3bn tonnes of plastics since 1950s and only 9% has been recycled, 12% incinerated and the rest of 79% of the plastics has ended up in the environment. The study also predicted that if current production and waste management trends continue, then roughly 12bn tonnes of plastics waste would end up in landfills or the natural environment by 2050. Recent studies show that plastics are not only polluting the environment, they are also considered as the biggest threat for human health and wellbeing. Without a strategic and holistic system approach, it would be difficult to manage plastics waste sustainably.
