https://www.siliconvalley.com/2024/04/19/earth-day-a-look-at-whats-being-done-to-decrease-plastic-use/

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, and the theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics.” Plastic has many benefits: It’s cheap, versatile, lightweight and durable. It also can provide environmental benefits: It plays a critical role in maintaining food quality and safety and reducing food waste. But at the same time, plastics are having a negative impact on our oceans and wildlife health.

The first synthetic plastic — Bakelite — was produced in 1907. Rapid growth in global plastic production began in the 1950s. Since then, annual production of plastics increased nearly 200-fold to 381 million tons in 2015.