Plastic storage boxes can be put to use in a wide range of areas. Since they are strong, durable and waterproof, they can withstand a great deal of abuse when being used to pack away small items during a house move, for example. In the home itself, plastic storage boxes are useful, depending on their size, for the storing of anything from books, paper or documents to food both in the fridge and the freezer.

The material, plastic, is remarkably versatile and is used in the manufacture of thousands of products, toys, medical equipment and even clothes, for example. In the 1970s, items made out of plastic were thought of as being “cheap and nasty”  – the way this attitude has changed as the age of Information Technology has come upon us with PDAs, mobile phones, personal and laptop computers, is truly amazing.

Before the first synthetic plastic was developed, naturally occurring substances such as gutta-percha, derived from the sap of certain trees, shellac, produced from the secretions of a tiny scale insect were used as plastic material. The horns of animals could also be used, but would need to be softened by being boiled in water.

The first synthetic plastic was developed by an American inventor, John Hyatt, in 1869. He found that the plant material cellulose when plasticised with the addition of camphor could be used as a cheap substitute for ivory. The material became known as celluloid and for 30 years was the only plastic of any importance for commercial uses. As a storage solution, plastic boxes are affordable, very practical and can look great too.