The subject of this final paper is: Special categories of waste - plastic waste. The main focus is on the distribution of plastic waste, its impact on the environment, and living beings, as well as its disposal. Given the fact that plastic is widely used in everyday life and is of great importance, it has also taken a big role in industry and society. It is increasingly replacing other materials due to its favorable properties. Plastic materials are a large group of materials with different mechanical, chemical and optical properties, and it is present everywhere in the environment, but its disposal lags far behind. Waste management affects the human population and the environment and is therefore one of the key issues of present days. By raising public awareness of the importance of a healthy environment and the possibilities of recycling plastics, we could reduce the exposure of human health and ecosystems to toxic substances, and in that way we could help and ourselves and future generations.