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Invention of polyethylene
Polyethylene is crafted by accident after German chemist Hans von Pechmann heated diazomethane. -
Invention of synthetic plastic
Leo Baekeland invents the worlds first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite. -
Invention of HDPE
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic is invented by Karl Ziegler from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (now known as Max Planck Institute). -
Invention of polystyrene foam
The first polystyrene is invented by Dow chemical co. -
Keep Australia Beautiful Program is announced
The keep Australia Beautiful program is launched in Australia to tackle the problem of increasing urban litter. This program keeps running to this day. -
Invention of the plastic bag
The first one-piece polyethylene plastic bag is invented and patented by Swedish company Celloplast, designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin. The plastic bag quickly begins to replace fabric bags in Europe. -
First PET bottle is invented and patented
Engineer Nathaniel Wyeth invents and patents the first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle. These bottles can withstand the pressure of carbonated liquid and are far cheaper than glass. -
The first PET recycling plant in Australia opens
The first PET recycling plant in Australia launches in Wodonga. This shows that Australia were starting to be aware of the plastic issues. -
McDonalds Australia Plastics Phase Out
McDonalds Australia will phase out plastic cutlery by the end of 2020, preventing 585 tonnes of plastic waste each year. This is additional to the phasing out of 500 million plastic straws, making a total annual plastic reduction of 860 tonnes. -
Plastic laws introduced to supermarkets
All plastic packaging in major supermarkets across NSW, Australia must be reusable, recyclable, or compostable as part of NSW legislation.