By Lucy Drebitko

Washed up ocean plastic on the coast of Tanzania. Photo by Lucy Drebitko.

Everywhere we look, plastic surrounds us. As I sit here typing this out on the plastic letters of my keyboard, there is a blue plastic pen to my right. Next to it, my planner lies open, its plastic cover flat on the table. On my feet, the plastic soles of my slippers tap at the ground.

Originally developed to save wildlife and natural resources, an early version of plastic– celluloid– was invented in 1869 by John Hyatt in an effort to create an alternative to ivory. The population of elephants was dwindling due to the high demand for ivory in the production of billiard balls. The first plastic bag was invented 90 years later by Sten Gustaf Thulin. Like Hyatt, Thulin’s invention was created with the planet in mind. Concerned about the deforestation caused by the production of paper grocery bags, Thulin developed a synthetic alternative that he intended to be reusable.

There is no doubt that plastic is a beneficial material. It is cheap, durable, and waterproof. These conveniences have made its use more and more widespread since its inception. Per National Geographic, half of all plastics ever manufactured were made in the last 20 years. Whether it’s single-use or reusable, we use plastic every day. But the short-term convenience of plastic comes at the expense of our long-term health and well-being, as well as the longevity and health of our planet.

Plastic doesn’t decompose. Instead, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, turning into microplastics. Microplastics are classified as pieces of plastic that are less than 5 mm long. Microplastics have been found everywhere on earth. Because of their small size, these tiny fragments are incredibly difficult to clean up and can infiltrate and disrupt nature’s cycles. Many microplastics end up in the ocean, where they are ingested by wildlife and end up in the food chain. Many are introduced into the terrestrial ecosystem, where they degrade the soil and are absorbed by plants and ingested by animals. Plastics also contain and can absorb chemical additives and contaminants that can leach out into the environment. This can lead to environmental toxicity and adverse health effects.

Because microplastics are so prevalent and hard to get rid of, they end up in our bodies through digestion, inhalation, and absorption through the skin. The average person ingests about 5 grams of plastic weekly, which is around the weight of a credit card. Microplastics have been found in every organ in the human body, as well as in breast milk and blood. Exposure of this type to microplastics can cause many negative impacts to your health, including endocrine (hormone) disruption, insulin resistance, reproductive toxicity, oxidative stress, cancer, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and necrosis.

The simplest way to protect yourself and the environment from the harmful effects of plastic is to reduce your use of plastics. An easy place to start is in the bathroom. Use bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic ones. Switch from bottled shampoo and conditioner to shampoo and conditioner bars, and use soap bars instead of liquid soap. I have found that they work just as well as their bottled counterparts, and they take up less bathroom space too. I also use toothpaste tablets in a reusable glass jar instead of toothpaste tubes. Toothpaste tubes are one of the hardest items to recycle because they are made up of many layers of different types of plastic. The dental care brand “Bite” is a good place to start when looking for plastic-free products.

In the kitchen, use containers, jars, or reusable silicon baggies instead of disposable plastic bags. Some reusable alternatives to plastic wrap and aluminum foil include beeswax wraps and silicon dish covers. Use plant-based sponges and scrubbers. When purchasing new clothes or sheets, buy items made from bamboo, linen, cotton, or hemp fibers. Avoid synthetic textiles, as they produce large amounts of microplastics, especially when washed. Not only do these simple steps help our planet, but they also help to reduce your microplastic consumption and exposure. By being aware and mindful of our plastic use, we can prevent the further accumulation of harmful plastic waste.