This actually sounds a bit scary, and I hope doesn't become reality, since it might turn out to be like termites --- given how much we rely on plastics, the damage caused by an inadvertent release or application could be severe.<p>Also, polyethylene is one of the simplest plastics and can be recycled quite effectively; so the real problem is getting people to reuse and recycle, and not disposal. Much of it comes from petroleum sources so a nontrivial amount of energy was already spent in its production too.