Introduction to Plastic Wastes: Processing Methods, Environmental and Health Implications

Plastic is known as a synthetic organic polymer produced from by-products of fossil fuels, (natural gas, oil, and coal). The distinguishing features of these synthetic polymers include but are not limited to durability, flexibility, lightweight, low cost, and resistance to water and electricity. These desirable properties have caused a surprising increase in their demand and, consequently, their generation. The total volume of plastics produced globally in the 1950s was about 2 million tons, which increased to 348 million tons and 359 million tons in 2017 and 2018, respectively. China, Europe, and North America are, respectively, the largest producers of plastic products. Consequently, plastic waste production has grown considerably over the last decades. Thus, the widespread usage of plastic products is associated with numerous environmental and health concerns regarding their massive production as well as insufficient infrastructure for waste treatment. In today's world, almost only 9% of the waste is recycled, an extremely subtle amount compared to the overall production. It is also reported that roughly 80 percent of the global plastic debris end up in landfills and natural environments. Plastic waste can be decomposed into microplastics under some circumstances, including ultraviolet, and physical tension, which dealing with them is more complicated. Moreover, plastic wastes have potentially various toxic components, such as polyfluorinated chemicals, bisphenol A, and phthalates that can leach out to have harmful implications on public health and the environment. Therefore, developing appropriate strategies including improve 4R concept, and development of clean-up technologies for dealing with plastic waste should be one of the critical research priorities.