(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Bioplastics: Can they be a solution to plastic pollution?

(DECEMBER-2023)

Plastics have become an integral part of modern lifestyle. They are inexpensive, durable, flexible, non-corrosive, and come in various colours, sizes, and shapes.
This has led to their widespread use as kitchen wares (spoons, knives, forks, plates, containers), packaging, toys, furniture, building materials, and many more.

Plastics are polymers in which an assembly of one or more types of identical subunits, known as monomers, are linked together by a process called polymerisation to form a long chain molecule.
The properties of plastics depend upon the type and numbers of the monomers in the chain, chain length, and the way they have been linked to form the polymer.
Virtually all the monomers for the various types of plastics are derived from fossil fuel, particularly crude oil, and natural gas. Hence, they are generally referred to as ‘Petro-plastics.
Industrial production of plastics started only in the 1950s, but its growth has been phenomenal.
According to the UN Environment Programme only about 2 million metric tons of plastic was produced the world over in the 1970s. But today the amount has risen to 400 million metric tons per year.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment, India produced about 3.5 million metric tonnes of plastics in 2019-2020.