The name given to this versatile substance we know as plastic is derived from a Greek word “plassein” meaning to mold or shape. Almost 70 years ago we began to manufacture and use plastic.Now all around us, the natural world is in danger of being destroyed by the mass of discarded
waste material, most of it plastic. Evidence of this plastic pollution can be found everywhere. Unfortunately plastic waste is a threat to humankind, and to the natural world. Some plastic may look like food to animals and birds and can be life threatening especially to marine life. In our cities plastic items block up the drains and can cause flooding during heavy rain storms. Much of the plastic we discard has been used as packaging, for everything from fruit and vegetables in our supermarkets to electronic goods, almost everything we buy comes swathed in plastic. Five huge collections of plastic waste known as “gyres” have collected in the Indian,Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Research indicates that since 2000, more plastic has been produced than was made than between 1950 and 2000, unfortunately most of it not biodegradable.