For the past 70-years plastic has slowly ingrained itself into our everyday life by being extremely low-cost to produce whilst providing a wide range of highly functional and flexible properties across all industrial usage. Its applications seem boundless, ranging from food storage, one-time disposal utensils, bedding to heavy machinery, just to name a few. The demand for plastics has been ever-increasing, driven by population-growth and man’s never-ending search to drive costs down and convenience. Since the 1950s, more than 8 trillion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide. The lack of proper disposal methods and after-use treatment facilities have made plastic a severe threat to not only our planet but to all life-forms’ health and well-being. All forms of plastic will normally require hundreds of years to disintegrate in landfills or the natural environment.
As reported by OECD , globally, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, while 22% is mismanaged. In 2019 alone, about 8 M tons of plastic waste leaked into the world's water system, polluting wetlands, rivers, and the ocean. The rapid accumulation of plastic debris on land and sea not only contaminates the environment but also threatens wildlife and human. Microplastic, tiny plastic particles formed during the breakdown of plastic waste, has been found in human blood.