A Bright Future for Plastics

Abstract

A century ago, an extraordinary material called plastic was invented, quickly spread worldwide and has since transformed the habits of everyone on the planet. However, we chose to produce plastic from petroleum, a fossil non-renewable resource. It soon became evident that recycling plastic after use was nearly impossible, leading to its accumulation year after year and pollution of the entire planet. The future outlook is alarming, and it is crucial to stop this pollution by decisively changing course. Banning plastic bags, fast food utensils, and straws will not solve this issue. Eliminating plastic entirely is not an option, nor can we ignore its environmental impact and health issues on populations.

This text proposes a global solution to the problems of current domestic plastic by replacing it with an organic plastic, a subset of bioplastics. This retains all the beneficial properties of existing plastics without their drawbacks. Like other organic products, organic plastic will be part of the life cycle and return to its original state when broken down by microorganisms. Numerous organic plastics exist now that can be composted if treated properly. Not only this 'new plastic' eliminates pollution, it changes another global health problem, organic waste, into a useful substance, compost, that will be used to grow the next crop.