Plastics first arrived on the scene in 1870. Because of a shortage of steel, and copper, a wide variety of plastic products were developed as part of the war effort during the Second World War. Following the war there was an explosion of plastic household products and the promotion of "Throwaway Living." While a small percentage of plastic is being recycled, most is not and remains a blight on the environment and even a threat to life itself. Only in recent decades have we begun to face the terrible toll that plastic pollution is taking and begun to take steps toward a plastic free future.