Development of first plastic polymers, Bakelite
Plastic as wonder material
Plastics in society: Syracuse University Library hosts a historic Plastics Collection
landfilling
exporting
6x more plastic waste is incinerated in US than recycled - source: PPC
Incineration emits dioxins, heavy metals, acidic gases, PCBs... and leaves approximately one-third of the material mass in the form of toxic ash, which itself is a hazardous waste to be managed.
Global emissions from incineration totaled 16 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2015 for plastic packaging, representing about 40 percent of plastic demand. And that’s before accounting for the open burning of plastic or incineration that occurs without any energy recovery. - Source: Climate Reality Project