Articles by Lakshmi Nilakantan

Lakshmi Nilakantan has finished her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry and is currently working as a freelance writer. She enjoys writing about nature, sustainable practices and simple living. In her spare time, Lakshmi enjoys balcony gardening and planting trees in her community.

Plastic has been in use for about 120 years, initially invented in 1862 to replace elephant ivory and tortoise shells. The first synthetic plastic, made from cellulose nitrate, was a commercial success. Despite its usefulness, there is a dire need to restrict unnecessary plastic use. Certain types of plastic need to be eliminated altogether. Polyethylene bags, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, and polystyrene food containers are among the worst offenders. One million plastic bottles are sold worldwide every minute, while 500 billion single-use plastic bags are used every year, and this number is projected to increase. After a single use, many…

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