This time it really is the last straw
Have you ever wondered when brushing your teeth, just how long it takes for the average plastic toothbrush to decompose? asks Charles Wilsher
You may be shocked to find out that it takes on average between 400-500 years! To put that time scale into perspective, imagine hypothetically that Queen Elizabeth I had a plastic toothbrush and disposed of it in 1550, it would have taken till now to decompose. (Obviously this would have been impossible as plastic wasn’t invented until the early twentieth century in around 1907. Besides, Queen Elizabeth I was known to have a sweet tooth, enjoying too much of the newly introduced sugar, apparently even using honey and sugar to ‘clean’ her teeth. She had revolting teeth which were replaced by wooden dentures!) However, when you discard your plastic toothbrush, it will take until approximately the year 2500 to decompose. Whilst I would not suggest that we all abandon good oral hygiene or start to clean our teeth with a cloth soaked in honey and sugar, we do have to look for alternatives to plastic.
Toothbrushes are only a small part of the problem. Whilst we might be shocked about these plastic decomposition timescales, what is equally as staggering is the extent of the problem. Plastic is cheap to produce and can be moulded to form any shape, therefore it is found everywhere from packaging, textiles, furniture, toys, hygiene items and even chewing gum.
Annually 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our seas and oceans. A staggering 500 billion plastic bottles are produced worldwide. There are already 150 million tonnes of waste in the ocean and it is estimated that by the time I’m 41 in 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. The fact is, we produce 900 percent more plastic than we did in 1980. The most jaw-dropping statistic is that there is a plastic waste island currently floating in the Pacific Ocean, which measures an astonishing 1.6 million square kilometres - if that’s hard to imagine, it’s three times the area of France! Fifty percent of all plastic we produce are single-use plastics like plastic straws, cups etc. and when you consider that most single-use plastics are only used for on average 10 minutes and then take centuries to decompose, our current use of plastics is completely unsustainable. The task ahead may sound overwhelming and insurmountable. A ban of single use plastic, such as straws, cutlery, microbeads etc. in Europe in 2021 was a positive first step.
We eat, drink and breathe microplastics daily. Plastic particles enter our food chain in fish, seafood, salt, beer, honey and drinking water. It’s estimated that a quarter of fish contain microplastics, this is not surprising when you consider there are 4 billion microplastic particles per square km of deep sea sediment. Plastic microfibers from synthetic clothing, furniture and carpets etc. end up in the air. It’s estimated that 25% of household dust is composed of microplastic. This means that we inhale microplastic particles into our lungs every day. It’s uncertain what the long term health impact of this is to the human body, because it is not known how long microplastics remain in the body before being excreted. Recent research has shown that microplastic may be carcinogenic (cancer causing), neurotoxic (damaging our nervous system) and some additives to plastic can affect hormones.
I’ve always been passionate about the environment, protecting biodiversity across our fragile planet and saving our planet from the impact of human activity. I’m certain that the majority of pupils and staff here at HCC will share my concerns and have the environment as a top priority. At the end of July, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Global Social Leaders (GSL) World Catalyst event. This was a unique opportunity for me to connect with people my age from countries around the world. Although there were many varied local issues faced by the participants, the majority shared the same pressing concerns about the environment and climate change. This was reassuring, as it is our generation that must take immediate action for the sake of future generations. To make change it often comes down to the collective actions of individuals; we must change our habits with urgency and use our choices as consumers to influence manufacturers - if we don’t buy it, they won’t make it! I feel that smaller actions taken at a local level will result in a larger, global change. Everyone can play a small part in creating a huge change. You can start by spreading the word to family and friends to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic to the environment. Many may be surprised by the time scales and the enormity of the problem.
My experience at the GSL world catalyst event inspired me to set up a campaign and website, ‘That’s the Last Straw’, to help raise awareness of the environmental impact of plastic. Please take a look using the link below.
It really has to be ‘the last straw’, we can no longer abuse our fragile planet. The scale of the problem is VAST. The time to act is NOW!
Charles Wilsher, Y8
https://thatsthelaststraw.co.uk/public_html/
You may be shocked to find out that it takes on average between 400-500 years! To put that time scale into perspective, imagine hypothetically that Queen Elizabeth I had a plastic toothbrush and disposed of it in 1550, it would have taken till now to decompose. (Obviously this would have been impossible as plastic wasn’t invented until the early twentieth century in around 1907. Besides, Queen Elizabeth I was known to have a sweet tooth, enjoying too much of the newly introduced sugar, apparently even using honey and sugar to ‘clean’ her teeth. She had revolting teeth which were replaced by wooden dentures!) However, when you discard your plastic toothbrush, it will take until approximately the year 2500 to decompose. Whilst I would not suggest that we all abandon good oral hygiene or start to clean our teeth with a cloth soaked in honey and sugar, we do have to look for alternatives to plastic.
Toothbrushes are only a small part of the problem. Whilst we might be shocked about these plastic decomposition timescales, what is equally as staggering is the extent of the problem. Plastic is cheap to produce and can be moulded to form any shape, therefore it is found everywhere from packaging, textiles, furniture, toys, hygiene items and even chewing gum.
Annually 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our seas and oceans. A staggering 500 billion plastic bottles are produced worldwide. There are already 150 million tonnes of waste in the ocean and it is estimated that by the time I’m 41 in 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. The fact is, we produce 900 percent more plastic than we did in 1980. The most jaw-dropping statistic is that there is a plastic waste island currently floating in the Pacific Ocean, which measures an astonishing 1.6 million square kilometres - if that’s hard to imagine, it’s three times the area of France! Fifty percent of all plastic we produce are single-use plastics like plastic straws, cups etc. and when you consider that most single-use plastics are only used for on average 10 minutes and then take centuries to decompose, our current use of plastics is completely unsustainable. The task ahead may sound overwhelming and insurmountable. A ban of single use plastic, such as straws, cutlery, microbeads etc. in Europe in 2021 was a positive first step.
We eat, drink and breathe microplastics daily. Plastic particles enter our food chain in fish, seafood, salt, beer, honey and drinking water. It’s estimated that a quarter of fish contain microplastics, this is not surprising when you consider there are 4 billion microplastic particles per square km of deep sea sediment. Plastic microfibers from synthetic clothing, furniture and carpets etc. end up in the air. It’s estimated that 25% of household dust is composed of microplastic. This means that we inhale microplastic particles into our lungs every day. It’s uncertain what the long term health impact of this is to the human body, because it is not known how long microplastics remain in the body before being excreted. Recent research has shown that microplastic may be carcinogenic (cancer causing), neurotoxic (damaging our nervous system) and some additives to plastic can affect hormones.
I’ve always been passionate about the environment, protecting biodiversity across our fragile planet and saving our planet from the impact of human activity. I’m certain that the majority of pupils and staff here at HCC will share my concerns and have the environment as a top priority. At the end of July, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Global Social Leaders (GSL) World Catalyst event. This was a unique opportunity for me to connect with people my age from countries around the world. Although there were many varied local issues faced by the participants, the majority shared the same pressing concerns about the environment and climate change. This was reassuring, as it is our generation that must take immediate action for the sake of future generations. To make change it often comes down to the collective actions of individuals; we must change our habits with urgency and use our choices as consumers to influence manufacturers - if we don’t buy it, they won’t make it! I feel that smaller actions taken at a local level will result in a larger, global change. Everyone can play a small part in creating a huge change. You can start by spreading the word to family and friends to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic to the environment. Many may be surprised by the time scales and the enormity of the problem.
My experience at the GSL world catalyst event inspired me to set up a campaign and website, ‘That’s the Last Straw’, to help raise awareness of the environmental impact of plastic. Please take a look using the link below.
It really has to be ‘the last straw’, we can no longer abuse our fragile planet. The scale of the problem is VAST. The time to act is NOW!
Charles Wilsher, Y8
https://thatsthelaststraw.co.uk/public_html/
