New Delhi, March 19 -- In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It's now about 400 million tonnes an increase of nearly 20,000 per cent.

As a material, it has seemingly limitless potential. Plastic is inexpensive to produce while being lightweight and sturdy. Its applications range from food and beverage packing to clothing and health care.

When a plastic item ends its useful life, it can take a very long time to decompose, up to 500 years in some cases. Even then, the plastic pieces don't disappear entirely - instead, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics that end up in the soil where we grow food, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

Research has linked these micr...