There is no material today that is as ubiquitous in everyday life as plastics. Its widespread use in all sectors – from packaging production to construction to the automotive industry to agriculture and medicine – is due to its capability to be shaped and adapted to most diverse purposes. Malleable, durable, light in weight, and cheap, plastic is the perfect material.
However, its mass consumption comes at a certain price – the use of fossil fuels in the production process and the inadequate management of large quantities of plastic waste are among the biggest contemporary environmental challenges.
Global production has exceeded the production of all other materials combined. Over a period of slightly over half a century, the production of plastics grew rapidly: in 1950, the world produced two million metric tons of it, whereas in 2015, the annual output reached as much as 322 million metric tons.
Due to the unsustainability of intensive plastic production and the inability to adequately manage enormous amounts of plastic waste, plastics will be in the focus of decision makers at different levels in this century. It is necessary to find alternative…
Plastic waste in Serbia is a major environmental problem that is being solved by rewriting and partially applying outdated European laws. Soon, there will be no trees in Serbia without a hanging bag, or pieces of land, rivers and streams…
Looking at the statistics on the recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in the European Union, wrong conclusions can be drawn. One third of the collected plastic packaging waste is exported to countries with a questionable relation towards the environmental…
In the 1980s, packaging waste became an important topic and political problem in Germany. The challenge arose at a time when a political consensus could not be reached among local authorities on the financing of new landfills and incinerators. At…
A deposit return scheme (DRS) for the packaging is a system in which consumers pay an additional amount for the packaging itself, which they can return when they go back to the store or other place where there is a…
Plastic is undoubtedly one of the most significant contemporary materials. However, its overuse comes at a price. There is no material today that is as ubiquitous in everyday life as plastic. Its widespread use in all sectors – from packaging…
