Plastic Age: How it's reshaping rocks, oceans and life

Dawn of the Plasticene Age (Image: Bigshot Toyworks)

The ultimate fate of waste plastic is hazy – but we know future geologists will find traces of a fleeting era written in the stones. Welcome to the Plasticene
ONE million years from now, geologists exploring our planet's concrete-coated crust will uncover strange signs of civilisations past. "Look at this," one will exclaim, cracking open a rock to reveal a thin black disc covered in tiny ridges. "It's a fossil from the Plasticene age."
Our addiction to plastics, combined with a reticence to recycle, means the stuff is already leaving its mark on our planet's geology. Of the 300 million tonnes of plastics produced annually, about a third is chucked away soon after use. Much is buried in landfill where it will probably remain, but a huge amount ends up in the oceans.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530060.200-plastic-age-how-its-reshaping-rocks-oceans-and-life.html