Polymers in Wastes and Their Environmental Impact

Whenever one thinks about materials that one uses in one’s everyday life, one cannot lose sight of the nearly all - encompassing materials called polymers finding outlets as (i) Plastics (various moulded objects, films, laminates, electrical and electronic gadgets, pipes, tube and rods, storage tanks and bins, bottles and carboys, cables and wire coatings etc.) (ii) Rubbers (tyres and tubes, beltings, hoses, coated fabrics and sheets, footwears, foams and microcellular objects, etc.), (iii) fibres, yams, cords, ropes, tows and fabrics, and also as various types of (iv) adhesives, coatings and composites¹