The rising tide of plastic waste

According to a WEF report, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 unless the volume of waste people produce is reduced. Photo: AFP

From its creation through its rise in the 1990s, the world has embraced plastic as an affordable and versatile material. By the time its impact on the environment and marine ecosystems became clear, plastic had conquered the world marketplace.

A toxic love story is how Tomy Tjitadjaja, co-founder and CEO of Indonesia-based social enterprise company Greenhope, describes people’s relationship with the material.