Understanding Plastic Pollution

Plastic, which is a by-product of the fractional distillation of crude oil, is a polymeric material made of chemically interlinked ‘monomers’. Monomers are single molecules mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen. Other elements like oxygen, chlorine, fluorine, nitrogen, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur are present depending on the plastic composition. Undoubtedly, plastics have emerged as versatile, moldable, durable, cost-effective, and lightweight materials. There is a saving in energy when plastic is used in place of metals, and the CO2 footprints become smaller. On the other hand, plastics have a long life of a few hundred years. The plastic waste has critical disposal issues, including collection in landfills, which causes methane emissions. Almost 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels, and greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain and during the incineration of waste have become significant threats to the environment. The plastic that gets dumped as marine debris is a major human health hazard. The world aquatic environment could have more than 80 MT of plastic debris by 2030 if no intervention is made (Borrelle et al. in Science 369:1515–1518, 2020). Efforts to mitigate plastic pollution include the recycling of waste, the management of waste on land and in the oceans, and the production of fossil fuel-free alternate sustainable materials. This chapter describes the discovery, development, and causes of plastic pollution, along with possible technological and planned remedies. Policy measures adopted in India are included.