Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

November 4, 2026 Gopal

Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

An essay is an information-based presentation of language practice on a specific topic. Reading essays is indispensable for enhancing depth of knowledge and language proficiency. Furthermore, reading essays is necessary to stay updated on various contemporary issues. With that objective, we have introduced a section named Essay Niryas. In this section, essays based on various subject matters will be presented in the context of recent events. Today’s essay, Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World, explores how plastic, alongside making the progress of civilization easy and dynamic, has brought about a silent environmental disaster, highlighting its triumphant journey and moral crisis.

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Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World, and is Now Drowning It

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In this article, we will first look at the history of the discovery of plastic. Then we will discuss how plastic changed medicine, agriculture, communication, and daily life. After that, we will see what damage is being done to the environment because of plastic, what microplastics is and why it is dangerous. Finally, we will discuss ways to solve the problem, such as recycling, alternative materials, and government policy.

Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

History of Discovery: From Bakelite to Polythene

Plastic was not discovered in a single day. It is the result of the long efforts of many scientists.

1862 – First Partial Success: British scientist Alexander Parkes showed a material called Parkesine at the Great Exhibition in London. It was made from cellulose, which could be used as a substitute for ivory. But it was not very durable.
1907 – The Real Revolution (Bakelite): Belgian-born American chemist Leo Baekeland discovered Bakelite. Bakelite was the first fully synthetic plastic. It does not soften when heated, does not conduct electricity, and does not deteriorate in water. For this reason, radios, phones, electric switches, jewelry, and kitchen items began to be made with Bakelite.
1933 – Discovery of Polythene: Scientists at the ICI company in Britain discovered polythene. It was first made by mistake, but later it was found to be extraordinary for packaging. During the Second World War, polythene was used to make waterproof clothing and wire coatings for soldiers.
1950s and Rapid Production Growth: In this decade, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PVC were discovered. From this time, plastic production began to increase rapidly. In 1950, world plastic production was only 2 million tons, which increased to more than 400 million tons in 2023. This growth is unimaginable.

Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

How Plastic Changed the World

The biggest quality of plastic is its versatility. It is light, strong, flexible, waterproof, and cheap. Because of these qualities, plastic has entered almost every industry.

Revolution in Medicine: Syringes, saline bags, artificial heart valves, stents, surgical instruments, everything is made of plastic. Before the 1950s, these things were made of glass or metal, which were difficult to sterilize and expensive. Because of plastic, single-use medical instruments have become possible, which has reduced infection and saved the lives of millions of people.
Impact on Agriculture: By using plastic sheds in greenhouses, vegetables can be grown even in winter. By using mulching film, soil moisture can be retained and weeds are reduced. Water pipes, irrigation tanks, fertilizer and seed packets, everything is plastic.
Communication and Technology: The body of a mobile phone, the casing of a computer, wire insulation, satellite parts, everything is plastic or plastic-based composite. By using light plastic, the weight of airplanes has been reduced, which saves fuel and reduces carbon emissions.
Daily Life: Because of plastic food packets, food stays good for a long time and can be sent far away. This reduces food waste and reduces price. Water bottles, buckets, chairs, toys, shoes, clothing fibers, everything is plastic. For poor and middle-class people, cheap and durable things have become possible only because of plastic.

Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

din short, plastic is one of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century. It has increased the quality of human life, made medicine safer, and brought technology to everyone’s hands.

The Dark Side of Plastic: Environmental Pollution

The biggest problem with plastic is that it does not deteriorate in nature. Paper, wood, or food mixes into the soil in a few months or years. But if a plastic bottle is left on the ground, it takes 450 years to completely deteriorate. A plastic bag takes 20 years to deteriorate. For this reason, single-use plastic, such as straws, cups, plates, packets, is the most dangerous for the environment.

Production and Recycling Rate: Of the 400 million tons of plastic produced in the world every year, about 40 percent is single-use plastic. Most of this plastic is not recycled. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, only 9 percent of plastic in the world is recycled. The rest of the plastic is dumped on land, in rivers, and in the sea.
Marine Pollution: About 10 million tons of plastic goes into the sea every year. A huge area has been created in the Pacific Ocean called the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, where plastic has accumulated and formed something like a floating island. Its size is about 1.6 million square kilometers, which is about half the area of India.
Impact on Marine Life: Turtles think plastic bags are jellyfish and eat them and die. Seabirds die after eating pieces of plastic. Plastic has been found in the stomachs of whales and dolphins. In 2018, 40 kg of plastic was found in the stomach of a whale near the Philippines.
Soil and Air Pollution: Plastic accumulation on land reduces soil fertility. Plastic prevents water movement in the soil and harms soil microbes. In the rural areas of Bangladesh and India, plastic waste is burned, the smoke of which produces toxic gases called dioxin and furan, which can cause cancer.

Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

Microplastic: The Invisible Enemy

The most terrible form of plastic is microplastics, meaning pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters.

Microplastic is created in two ways:

Primary microplastics: Intentionally made small plastic, such as microbeads used in facewash, toothpaste, and scrub creams.
Secondary microplastics: Created by large plastic breaking, due to sunlight and waves.

This microplastics is now everywhere—in sea water, in river water, in soil, in air, and even in our food and drinking water. In 2019, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) said that microplastics was found in bottled water. There is microplastics even in sea salt.

Research is ongoing on what damage microplastics does to the human body. In 2024, in a study, microplastics was found in human blood and lungs. Tests on animals have shown that microplastics disrupts the work of hormones and creates inflammation.

@ Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

Ways to Solve

The solution to the plastic problem is not possible in one day, because modern life will not run without plastic. But it is possible to reduce its use and improve management:

First Way (Recycling or Reuse): Plastic can be melted and made into new things. But currently the rate of recycling is very low. The reason for this is that it is difficult to separate different types of plastic, and recycling is more expensive than making new plastic. Governments have to invest in the recycling industry and impose taxes on new plastic.
Second Way (Alternative Materials): Scientists are now making biodegradable plastic, which deteriorates in the soil. For example, PLA plastic made from corn starch, packaging made from fungus mycelium, and film made from seaweed.
Third Way (Policy and Law): Various countries are banning single-use plastic. Bangladesh banned polythene bags in 2002, which is one of the early examples in the world. India has banned 19 items of single-use plastic since 2022. The European Union has banned plastic straws, cups, and plates since 2021.
Fourth Way (Awareness): Using cloth bags, keeping one’s own bottle with you, and throwing plastic in the recycling bin—these small habits can bring big change.
Fifth Way (Waste Management): In countries like India and Bangladesh, the waste collection system needs to be improved. To stop plastic from going into rivers, city waste has to be collected and processed properly.

Context of India and Bangladesh # Plastic: The Discovery

Plastic pollution is a big problem in India and Bangladesh. Both countries have many rivers, and the population is very high. Thousands of tons of plastic go into the Bay of Bengal every year through the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers.

In Bangladesh, although polythene was banned in 2002, its use is still continuing. The reason is that the alternative is expensive and enforcement is weak. A major cause of pollution of the Buriganga River in Dhaka is plastic waste.
In India, in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022. In 2022, a law was made for that goal. But enforcement is still a challenge.

The solution for the two countries is to strengthen the waste collection system at the local level, encourage the biodegradable packaging industry, and create awareness in schools and colleges.

↔️ Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

Conclusion

Plastic has played a dual role in the history of human civilization. On one hand, it has made medicine, agriculture, technology, and daily life easier and cheaper. It has saved the lives of millions of people, reduced food waste, and made communication easier.

On the other hand, this same plastic has now become one of the biggest environmental threats to the Earth. The sea is filling up, the soil is becoming toxic, and microplastics is entering our bodies.

∆ Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

The solution to this problem is not to discard plastic, but to use plastic responsibly. We have to use the plastic that is necessary, such as medical instruments. And the single-use plastic, such as plastic straws, cups, plates, has to be reduced. Recycling, alternative materials, and strict laws, all three together can solve the problem.

Plastic has changed us. Now it is our turn to use plastic in such a way that the Earth does not drown.

👉🏻 Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

Summary

Leo Baekeland discovered Bakelite in 1907, which was the first artificial plastic. After that, polythene, polypropylene, and PVC were discovered, and from 1950, plastic production began to increase rapidly. Plastic changed medicine, agriculture, communication, and daily life, made food preservation easy, and saved lives. But plastic does not deteriorate in nature; only 9 percent of plastic in the world is recycled. About 10 million tons of plastic goes into the sea every year, and microplastics has now spread into food, water, and air. As a solution, it is necessary to increase recycling, use biodegradable alternatives, ban single-use plastic, and create awareness. The solution is not to discard plastic, but to use it responsibly.

✍🏻 Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

References

Baekeland, L. H. (1909). The Synthesis, Constitution, and Uses of Bakelite. Journal of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 1(3), 149-161.
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R. & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782.
Jambeck, J. R. et al. (2015). Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.
UNEP (2023). Turning Off the Tap: How the World Can End Plastic Pollution and Create a Circular Economy. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme.
WHO (2019). Microplastics in Drinking-water. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (2022). Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022. New Delhi.
Government of Bangladesh (2002). Polythene Shopping Bags (Manufacture and Use) Prohibition Act, 2002. Dhaka.

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Plastic: The Discovery That Changed the World Eng

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