Preface,
1 Background and History,
Introduction,
Plastics in Daily Life,
History of Plastics,
Natural and Synthetic Rubbers,
Parkisine and Celluloid,
Bakelite,
The Modern Age of Plastics,
Plastic Pollution,
Microplastics,
Primary Microplastics,
Secondary Microplastics,
Transport of Microplastics,
Land and Air Deposition,
Water Deposition,
References,
2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions,
Introduction,
Plastics Production,
Future Trends in Plastics Production,
Fossil Fuels and Plastics Production,
Disposal of Plastic Wastes,
Dumps and Landfills,
Incineration,
The Oceans,
Environmental Effects of Plastics,
Soil,
Entanglement,
Ingestion,
Interaction,
Human Health,
Solutions,
Recycling,
Biodegradable Plastics,
Zero Waste,
Circular Economy,
Public Opinion and Legislation,
Conclusion,
References,
3 Perspectives,
Introduction,
Environmental Education That Empowers Students,
Ashlie Arkwright
Microplastics and Plankton,
Cherilyn Chin
Microplastics Are Everywhere: Threatening the Health of the Planet and
Future of Humanity,
Mark Friedman
How to Be More Eco-conscious,
Pratibha Gopalakrishna
Biological Recycling of Polyethylene Shopping Bags,
Joel Grossman
Impacts of Plastic on Sea Turtles,
Jake Krauss
What Is the True Cost of Microplastic Pollution on Our Health?,
Kara Rogers
Small Town Makes Big Impact,
Diana Reynolds Roome
Environmental Hazards of Bottled Water,
Ellen Rubin
The Reckoning,
Das Soligo
4 Profiles,
Alliance to End Plastic Waste,
Leo Baekeland (1863-1944),
Wallace Carothers (1896-1937),
The 5 Gyres Institute,
Greenpeace,
Walter Lincoln Hawkins (1911-1992),
Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014),
Charles J. Moore (Dates Unavailable),
Alexander Parkes (1813-1890),
Boyan Slat (1994-),
Surfrider Foundation,
5 Data and Documents,
Data,
Table 5.1 Global Production of Plastics, 1950-2015,
Table 5.2 Disposal of Plastic Wastes, 1980-2015 (%),
Table 5.3 Plastic Use by Sector (million tonnes) (2015),
Table 5.4 Per Capita Plastic Waste for Selected Countries, 2010 (kilograms
per person per day),
Table 5.5 Plastic Production and Disposal in the United States, Selected
Years (thousands of tons),
Table 5.6 Microplastic Concentration at Various Points in the United
States,
Table 5.7 Fate of All Plastics Produced Worldwide, 1980-2015,
Table 5.8 Global Production of Various Types of Plastics for 2015 (millions
of tons),
Table 5.9 Forms of Polyethylene,
Documents,
Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act (1987),
Policy Memorandum 11-03 ("Water Bottle Ban") (2011); Discontinuation of
Policy (2017),
Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015,
Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms (2016),
No More Plastics in the Oceans (2017),
City of Laredo, Texas, Petitioner, v. Laredo Merchants Association (NO.
16-0748) (2018),
Plastic Bag Bill (Connecticut) (2019); Plastic Bag Bill (Idaho) (2016),
A Circular Economy for Plastics (2019),
Save Our Seas Bill (S.1982) (2019),
Plastic or Bioplastic Disposable Food Service Ware (2019),
San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and S. Diane Wilson v. Formosa
Plastics Corp., Texas, and Formosa Plastics Corp., U.S.A. (2019),
Udall-Lowenthal Bill (2020),
6 Resources,
Books,
Articles,
Reports,
Internet,
7 Chronology,
Glossary,
Index,