Evolutionary history of global plastic industry is as astounding as the extent of its acceptance in our daily lives (Figure 1). Plastics play an indispensable role in our lives. This is evident from its use in a wide variety of markets, including construction, packaging, automobiles and boats, various consumer goods and toys, transportation, healthcare service, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, furniture and furnishings, entertainment and party, electrical/electronic components, adhesives, plumbing, inks and coatings, water bottles, and shopping bags, to mention just a few.

There are compelling reasons for the popularity of plastics. For example, use of plastics in healthcare and food industry assures safety from potential hazards of cross-contamination. In addition, plastics increasingly have provided the performance in products that we the consumers want. Some have argued that our lives without plastics would be much more expensive and much less comfortable and many of the conveniences we have taken for granted would be gone. Therefore, its no surprise that global plastic industry is a multi-billion dollar business, which is growing at a rate much faster than any other industry in the world.

As conscientious consumers, we have overlooked some details that would make our earth and its future inhabitants happier. First, plastic is not biodegradable, which means that plastic waste buried in the landfills remains unaltered beyond our lifetime. Second, plastics are made from the crude oil, a nonrenewable resource upon which we also depend for our energy and transportation needs.

Clearly, it will be important to invest more for research on alternatives to plastics and environmentally safer and cost-effective ways to recycle used plastics. In the mean time, we can begin to contribute towards decreasing the burden of plastic waste by bringing our own shopping bags that are reusable and earth friendly.