Advantages And Disadvantages Of Plastics

We produce more than 300 million tons of polymers every year and they are an inevitable part of our lifecite{Mohanty2000}. They are found in innumerable forms like plastics, rubbers, textiles, coatings and many more materials in our day-to-day life. Every industry depends on it for their survival. Plastics are a necessary evil as it cannot be destroyed completely although it should be degraded more rapidly. They will result in long term pollution and hence, a swift discovery of eco-friendly polymers are needed in order to preserve the environment. The biodegradability of polymers is essentially a function of its carbon chain structure.

Plastics have found a dominant place in the environment, affecting wildlife and humans since it 's inception. The continual stream of plastic pollutant is maintained through dumping of domestic and industrial refuse. These in turn migrate to the waterways where it is again polluted by the marine vessels and offshore petroleum platformscite{ISI:000293260100007}. They end up causing various lethal repercussions. The use of chemical additives in plastic production has potentially affected humans causing many chronological diseases. Living organisms, particularly biological functions of marine animals were affected through entanglement, direct ingestion of plastic waste and exposure to chemicals within plastics. For example, in UK alone 5 million tons of plastic were produced, of which 24\% moves into recycling and the rest reached the