There are currently 150 million tonnes of plastic floating in our seas and every minute, the equivalent of a garbage truck load is added. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), the largest of five major garbage patches floating in our oceans, contains the equivalent weight of 500 jumbo jets-worth of plastic.
And despite growing awareness, local initiatives and activism around plastic waste and the environment, the average Australian still uses 130kg of plastic each year. Given the current rate of plastic consumption worldwide, plastic is expected to account for five to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But beyond that reusable coffee cup you pull out occasionally, there is a new focus on innovative eco-friendly alternatives. From compostable cling film to pasta straws and edible seaweed packaging, the future of plastic is looking more inventive than ever.
A single-use society
The first synthetic polymer was invented in 1869, but the real plastic boom didn’t happen until the invention of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in the 1970s. PET plastic was first discovered in the ’40s and, after the invention of the PET bottle, became the go-to for safe, reliable and cheap food and drink storage. During this time, bottled water was marketed as essential for good hair, skin and health, and touted to be much safer and better than soft drinks and even tap water. Evian water bottles became a
