When historians look back, they may well end up naming our current civilization the Plasticene Era. Since the 1950s, the nations of the world have produced over 9 billion tons of plastic. Annual global plastic production is expected to reach 500 million tons by 2025.1
At least 80 percent of plastic waste ends up buried in landfills. Over 30 billion pounds of plastic are estimated to enter Earth's oceans every year.2 The rest clogs our lakes, rivers and streets, blowing around and clinging to trees and fence lines.
But it's not just the unsightly plastic bags, bottles, fishing nets, combs, disposable razors, cigarette butts, face masks and flossing picks that are problematic. Plastics do not degrade easily because they are made from petroleum, which contains propylene, a chemical that when…