Introduction

Plastics have become an integral part of society since the 1950s when their mass production commenced
and their usage has continued to increase with population growth, the standard of living and technological
development (1). The benefits of plastic are undeniable. It is cheap, lightweight and easy to mold. Due to
their versatility, plastics have replaced traditional materials such as metal, wood and leather (2) Today,
plastic is widely used in food and beverage packaging, textile, automotive, manufacturing, medical
devices such as surgical equipment, drips and blister packs for pills (3). The increasing usage of plastics
has caused some substantial environmental pollution burden on both land and water habitats (4)

The typical, everyday habits of most people give little regard for environment and result in increased
pollution and other negative environmental consequences (5). This indifference raises concern among
environmentalists and has become particularly serious in developing countries such as Ethiopia. Some
environmentalists state that despite recycling efforts, millions of plastic bags and water bottles take
decades or centuries to decompose. Plastics are used throughout the world for a broad number of
applications. In many developing countries such as Ethiopia, most people show little regard for the
environmental result in pollution. Lack of awareness coupled with poverty motivated people to reuse the
non-biodegradable plastic water bottles and bags. Poor waste disposal mechanism cause environment
worse and encircled living organisms at risk. Reusing plastic materials with poor cleaning system result
leaching of chemical pollutants, such as biphenyl A, phthalates and antimony that causes serious
toxicological impacts on humans and reduce the aesthetic values of the environment (6)