Plastic Free July is done and dusted for another year. But the efforts of the Plastic Free July team continue throughout the year.
Did you commit to reducing your plastic overload? Did you achieve your plastics goal for July? What did you learn?
Who and when was plastic invented and for what purpose?
What is plastic and how many types are on the market?
And for which purpose are these plastics used for?
What are microplastics?
How long does it take for plastic to break down?
What is the difference between biodegradable and compostable plastic?
Why did we move away from plant based to synthetic plastic?
Let's take a look at each of these questions:
What do we know about plastic?
1839 Polystyrene was discovered by Eduard Simon. Polystyrene is a transparent synthetic resin produced by the polymerization (the process of combining small molecules chemically to form large chains of molecules or polymers) of styrene (a derivative of benzene).
In 1862 Alexander Parkes developed a product called Parkesine which was derived from cellulose.
In 1863 John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid (a combination of cellulose and camphor) to replace ivory in billiard balls. By it's name, celluloid is used in photography, and the motion picture industry and was widely used by the 1900's.
In 1907 Bakelite, the first synthetic resin was invented by Belgian-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. Bakelite is a combination of phenol and formaldehyde which was derived from coal tar and wood alcohol.
In 1908 Cellophane was invented by Jacques E. Brandenberger. Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose and is used in the food industry, for tape and tubing etc.
Next was Vinyl or PVC by Walter Semon in 1926.
And the list continues with Saran wrap in 1933, Polyurethanes in 1937, Polystyrene in 1938 followed by Teflon in the same year, Nylon and Neoprene in 1939, PET was patented by John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson in 1942, HDPE in 1951, Styrofoam in 1954, Polyester in 1970, Linear Low-Density Polyethylene in 1978 and Liquid Crystal Polymers in 1985.
Plastic Types:
I will stick to the most common types of Plastic:
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET/PETE)
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polystyrene (PS)
Mixed Plastic (Other)
1. Polyethylene Terephthalate PET/PETE):
Group 1, PETE is commonly found in food and drink packaging like water and soda bottles.
2. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE):
Group 2, HDPE includes shopping bags, shampoo bottles, lids, motor oil bottles and cereal bags.
3. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC):
Group 3, PVC includes cleaning bottles,
cling wrap, door and window profiles and
pipes, electrical cable insulation and flooring.
4. Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE):
Group 4, LDPE is commonly found in
plastic bags, shrink wraps, condiment bottles and frozen food containers.
5. Polypropylene (PP):
Group 5, PP is found in Tupperware, straws,
medicine bottles, car parts, yoghurt containers
and even in some disposable nappies.
6. Polystyrene (PS)
Group 6, PS can be found in take away food
containers and coffee cups, disposable
cutlery, insulation and packing materials.
7. Mixed Plastic (Other):
Group 7, OTHER (the best known one is Polycarbonate) is mixed plastic and is found
in baby bottles, car parts, lenses in glasses
and goggles, mobile phones and CDs.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are small fragments of plastic that are less than five millimeters in length or about the size of a sesame seed. They are commonly found in our oceans, in the air that we breathe, drinking water and soil and then enter our natural eco systems. The breakdown of plastic waste by being exposed to the weather causes the plastic to become smaller and smaller, but they never biodegrade. Approximately 11% of plastic waste found in the oceans are microplastics.
If ingested they can block the gastrointestinal tracts of organisms and give the sensation of the stomach feeling like it is full, leading to starvation. We who are lovers of seafood could be ingesting as much as the size of a credit card of plastic per week!
Microplastics have also been found in our crops, in the root systems, stems and leaves. Fruit and vegetables like apples, carrots, and lettuce contain microplastics from irrigation and carried in by the air.
Microplastics can also be found in many products on the market. Products that contain microplastics are some cosmetics, body scrubs, sunscreen, hair products, lipsticks, toothpastes. Toothpaste! If the product sparkles (glitter) it contains microplastics.
When ingested or inhaled from the air the body becomes exposed to harmful chemicals found in some plastics. Although some microplastics pass through the body and exit via faeces and urine, levels of microplastics can be found in most organs, blood stream and cells. Studies on the placentas of unborn babies have shown they contain microplastics. Toxicity from microplastics has been shown to cause metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity, increased cancer risk, damaging cells and causing inflammatory and immune reactions and more.
A causeway is effective at preventing waste from entering the Parramatta River at Parramatta, Sydney.
Ways to reduce consumption of microplastics:
Consider changing from synthetic clothing to natural fibres. Choose quality clothing that lasts as opposed to fast fashion.
Launder clothing less often, some washing machine filters will filter out the synthetic threads released from your clothing during the wash.
Check labels on exfoliating face scrubs and cosmetics for microbeads and avoid those that contain them.
Avoid whitening toothpaste and toothpaste with glitter.
Teabags and even silk teabags contain microplastic to give them strength. Go for loose leaf tea.
Avoid single use takeaway items like cups, plates and cutlery. Even paper cups have a plastic coating. Take reusable shopping bags for your weekly shop.
Car tyres are a mix of latex and plastic, as they wear down they release microplastics into the air. Replacing worn tyres and ensuring your tyres are upcycled would go some way to reducing the problem.
Tap water can be filtered by using Carbon Block filters, Reverse Osmosis filters or Distillation filters.
Paper towel contains plastic, consider more sustainable options like reusable cloth sheets.
In 2016 a bacteria was found to be capable of breaking down and consuming the plastic, PET to a carbon and energy source.
A plastic eating enzyme called PETase when mixed with another, MHETase can consume plastic in a couple of days.
Scientists are researching other ways by observing meal worms and waxworms, how they use the bacteria living in their gut to break down plastic.
How long does it take for plastic to break down?
The frightening reality is that it could take approximately 450 years to break down one plastic bottle!
When waste is sent to landfill, compacted and buried under a layer of soil it takes longer to decompose than if it were floating in the ocean where the sun, to a certain degree helps the process. Unfortunately when the sun acts on plastic it breaks down into microplastics whereby another problem is created as discussed above.
The USA and Australia were exporting waste to China for recycling, now China has closed its doors to us.
So what's the next step in the war on plastic?
Recycling is the obvious solution but not everyone worldwide consciously makes the decision to dispose of their waste in the proper receptacles.
Avoiding purchases with single use plastic.
Choosing sustainable or reusable options.
The ocean has 5 main garbage patches, the largest called the Great Pacific garbage patch is between Hawaii and California. Research continues with plastic eating bacteria and enzymes, booms, sea bins and funnels and organisations are manually cleaning up beaches.
One such group is called 4ocean. This group not only removes the waste from beaches but repurposes the waste into jewelry and now face mask support frames. https://www.4ocean.com/
For more information on technology used in the clean up of our oceans, use this link:
What is the difference between biodegradable and compostable plastic?
Biodegradable put simply means it is able to break down completely into natural substances, water, carbon dioxide and methane(one of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change).
But it's confusing as it can be plant based or from the petrochemical industry and may only break down into smaller pieces or microplastics which can take decades to further break down. Biodegradable plastic can contain microorganisms and other additives to help the break down process.
Whether they are degradable or biodegradable they cannot be added to home composting units. It's better to avoid any plastic labelled biodegradable.
In Australia biodegradable plastic will be phased out by July 2022.
Compostable plastic is made from plant starch and will not produce any toxic material. In a composting system the plastic is broken down by microbes into compost. It breaks down into water, carbon dioxide and biomass. It will need to have a Home Compost label to be truly compostable and that's only under certain conditions. At this stage your recycling bin is not accepting compostable plastic or biodegradable plastic.
Here in Australia only 2 types of plastic can be recycled:
PET- water bottles and soda bottles.
HDPE- milk bottles, shampoo/conditioner bottles and detergent containers.
Why did we move away from plant based to synthetic plastic?
Initially making synthetic plastic from the petrochemical industry saved animals like the elephant and turtles from our need for bone, tusks and horns and the environment from overuse of wood and stone. We needed to protect the natural environment.
It was in the '60s when plastic was first noticed as a problem occurring as waste in the oceans and landfills.
Here is the problem with plastic: it's waterproof, strong, light weight and it can be shaped for any purpose. And it's disposable and as we know, it lasts forever.
The effects on the human body are not fully understood and that's a scary thought for future generations!
Now we have come full circle and are developing new ways to replace synthetic plastic back to plant based compostable type plastics. We have a long way to go but at least it is a step in the right direction.
Plastic is unlikely to go out of our lives completely because its uses are just too broad and cost-efficient, but there are steps that we can take to reduce our own consumption.
Using reusable drink bottles, bring your own reusable coffee cup, refusing plastic cutlery and using beeswax wraps instead of Glad wrap will go a long way to reducing your plastic consumption.
While the health effects are not currently well understood, it is a good idea to continue researching alternatives because the environmental effect is not disputed.
Before I began this blog I had no idea the complexity of the topic. The more I researched the deeper I was taken and the more confusing it became.
I enjoyed researching the topic of Plastics and hope you enjoyed it too.
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