CHAPTER 2: THE PROBLEM SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENTS ARE UNKNOWINGLY BURYING THEMSELVES IN INCREASING PLASTIC DEBT INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFETIME COST OF PLASTIC The lifecycle of plastic does not end when it is thrown away, but extends far beyond this point, potentially for thousands of years (see Figure 2): Leakage Raw-material feedstock Figure 2: The lifecycle of plastic. WWF INTERNATIONAL 2021 WWF INTERNATIONAL 2021