Abstract
World production of plastics has increased from 1 × lo6 tons to 1000 × lo6 tons over the last half-century. The current concern regarding the disposal of industrial and postconsumer waste in diminishing landfill sites and the general impact of waste on the environment have drawn attention to the need to develop effective reclamation and recycling policies. The high visibility of waste products arising from plastics packaging, which accounts for about 30% of total plastics consumption, has contributed to the percep-tion of plastics as a major environmental problem [1].