Ever thought, ever wondered, the wonder material that was worshipped by people when it was introduced, what were the reasons? Plastic was invented by John W Hyatt in 1869 and in the last 150 years numerous varieties of LLDPE (Linear Low Density Poly Ethylene), HDPE ( High Density Poly Ethylene), LDPE ( Low Density Poly Ethylene) , PE ( Polyethylene), PP ( Polypropylene), PVC ( Poly Vinyl Chloride ) and various other polymers have been invented and produced by the mankind. The world’s first fully synthetic plastic was Bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland who coined the term ‘Plastics’.
While talking about plastics, lets us talk about the advantages of the plastic; durability, low cost, lesser wear and tear, lesser usage of energy in production, Lighter weight and easily mouldable. Cars, Airplanes, Kayaks, and parts of bikes and train are all made of plastics. If these parts are replaced with metals, then the parts will rust very soon, the product shall become very heavy weight and inefficient as well.
Plastics revolutionized practically every industry in the world and made it very cost effective. Plastics have made it simple enough to be portable and made the PC machine simple and lighter. We cannot ban plastics but can certainly regulate its use. In the field of medicine, it is responsible for many life saving and life lengthening inventions. One of the examples is Knee and Thigh replacement using plastics. Plastics have been in every part of the hospitals nowadays i.e Syringes, Gloves, IV bags. MRI Machines, CT Scans everywhere the plastics are in the medicine field.
Plastics were bagged by the Construction Industry. There is more plastics used in the construction industry as compared to the medicine field. Slidings, Pipes, Vales, Bathroom Units, Windows, Plumbing Fixtures, railings, sizings and gratings all are made of plastics. They make it lightweight and easy to handle. None surpasses packaging industry in the use of plastics as they are very easy to handle and are lightweight. Shatterproof bottles, one of the eponymous use of Plastics. Electronic Industry virtually every product is made of plastics, DVD players, microwaves, circuit boards, chips etc. Plastic was a boon to mankind and shall remain with us until humans remain on this planet. Nothing Surpasses Plastics in advantages though concerns have been raised regarding its degradation and damage to the environment.
