While there are many contributors to pollutions in the water bodies in Singapore, we look at one of the major offender of pollution in the world– plastic. 

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Where did plastic come from? 

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While the history of plastic started way back, the birth of the modern plastic era was arguably started in 1907 with the invention of Bakelite by Belgian-born American scientist Leo Hendrik. Created with a cheap and viable synthesis method, it was the first plastic to be created not with plants or animals, but fossil fuel. His work now opened the floodgates to a torrent of now-familiar plastics. 

What drove the industry was the war effort. Plastic was used in military vehicles to radar insulation. Companies built plants to turn oil into petrol, resulting in an abundance at the end of the War in 1945. To keep production running, the companies turned towards producing for the mass market. What came out of it were products such as Tupperware, fizzy drinks bottles, milk bottles, toys, amongst others. 

Below are some of the things that has plastic in them:

– Plastic fibres (Nylon, Polyester, Lycra, Spandax etc)

– Spectacles

– Computers

– Cutleries

How many else can you identify? It’s almost impossible to think of a world without plastics now. Yet how has this affected us? 

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