Plastics are synthetic substances that are formed by long chain polymers that are made up of smaller molecules called monomers. The plastics can be divided into two broad categories, namely the thermoplastics and the thermosetting plastics. Thermoplastics, which are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), & polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may be reheated, reshaped, and used again, whereas thermosetting plastics, like epoxy and melamine harden permanently and are very durable. Plastics due to their cheapness, flexibility, strength, and anti-corrosion ability have gained irreplaceable roles in packaging, construction, transportation, electronics, medical practices, agriculture, and textiles. Nevertheless, plastics have serious environmental persistence challenges. Majority of traditional plastics have been made using fossil fuel and not biodegradable. With time, they break down to smaller pieces referred to as microplastics (less than 5 mm) and nanoplastics (less than 100 nm). These particles are now ubiquitous in both the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and even in the air. They can even penetrate food chains that may be dangerous to the health of the animals and human beings. Micro and nanoplastics consist mainly of PE, PS, PP, PVC, and PET that may contain additives in the shape of stabilizers and plasticizers; additives may contain leachable toxic elements. The research studies have shown that the particles possess the capacity of causing oxidative stress, inflammation and cell injury in living organisms. In recent years, plastic pollution attracted a great amount of attention of the scientific community of the world, which can be explained by its increased importance in the environment and health. Scientific publications on microplastics have since increased tremendously since 2011 with a significant contribution by countries like Switzerland, the United Kingdom and China. At the same time, there is increased momentum in the development of bioplastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA) that is made of renewable sources of plants, as a viable alternative. The innovations are supposed to decrease the use of petroleum-based plastics and alleviate the negative impact on the environment in the long term. In general, plastics have become a twofold problem, as they are essential to technological advancement but at the same time cause the acute environmental concern that requires the attention of the whole world.