According to a May 4, 2020 News Release, while “… Nearly every sector of the economy depends on [plastics] … The negative environmental impact of plastics is enormous … and it’s twofold. Most common polymers are made using fossil fuels, which results in large amounts of the greenhouse gas emissions …. And, once their original purpose has been served, most plastics are then discarded as waste ... Only about 9 percent of the plastic ever made has been recycled. Scientific teams working across disciplines are exploring new solutions ... A panel discussion held during the most recent National Academy of Sciences annual meeting http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/events/annual-meeting/nas157/science-sessions-plastics.html explored cutting-edge [research] … One group of researchers … have showed how lignin feedstocks, a byproduct of paper production, can be used to create plastic from a renewable resource at a comparable cost to traditional methods. Other researchers have developed plastic that degrades when exposed to UV light … Others are discovering new ways of upcycling old plastic products …” #PlasticWaste #PlasticPackaging #SingleUsePlastic #FoodPackaging #Microplactics