In Depth - Story of Plastic

Plastic is today seen as one of the biggest pollutants on Earth. It is literally everywhere- present in homes, vehicles, garbage heaps, oceans and rivers. Even in the stomachs of unsuspecting birds, animals and humans; Slowly choking their lives Not so far back in the past, plastic was considered one of the most useful substances that mankind had produced. It was cheap and used to make almost everything- From clothes to furniture, toys to packaging material. From the 1950s up to 2018, 6.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced worldwide. Only 9% of this has been recycled and 12% has been incinerated. Which is why it is only in recent years that people have really begun to protest against the overuse of plastic . The worldwide campaign against plastic cuts across countries. Efforts are being made to reduce plastic pollution by reducing its consumption, cleaning up litter, and promoting plastic recycling. Today in In Depth, we look at the size of the plastic economy and Why it has become such a huge environmental challenge, the worldwide efforts to limit the damage caused by plastic and what does the future hold for use of plastic. Anchor: Aditi Girotra