When you drink tea bags, drip coffee, or chew gum, you are probably also eating plastic.

Do you know how much plastic there is in our lives?

Since its invention in the 19th century, plastic has quickly taken over every aspect of our lives. When you think you are drinking from a "paper" cup, when you think you are shopping with a non-woven "cloth" bag, when you throw a laundry pod into the washing machine and see it dissolve, you are actually using plastic.

Next, let’s take a look at the “hidden” plastic products in our lives .

Tea bag/drip coffee

When you tear open the tea bag at hand and watch the tea leaves slowly unfold in the translucent tea bag, perhaps no one has ever thought that the tea bag wrapped around the tea leaves is actually made of plastic.

Currently, tea bags or hanging ear bags on the market are mainly divided into three types based on their materials: non-woven fabrics, nylon and corn fiber . Among them, non-woven fabrics (PET) and nylon (PA) are non-degradable plastics . After being brewed at high temperature for a long time, microplastics and other toxic and harmful substances may be diluted , causing potential health risks.

The ear-hanging bag may be made of non-degradable plastic | Tuchong Creative

Corn fiber (PLA) has good biodegradability. After use, it can be completely degraded by microorganisms under certain conditions, generating carbon dioxide and water without polluting the environment. However, it is worth noting that there are a large number of businesses on the market that claim to sell products under the banner of corn fiber, but they are actually nylon tea bags . Consumers need to be careful to distinguish them. [2]

Paper cups

"Replacing plastic with paper" is a major means for the catering industry to deal with plastic pollution. However, it is difficult for the base paper to directly carry water and oil. In order to prevent leakage and seepage, the surface of the paper cup still needs to be covered with a layer of plastic film. The vast majority of plastic films on the market are non-degradable PE plastic materials , but with the increasing attention paid to white pollution, some films are gradually being replaced with degradable PLA plastic materials.

Paper cups usually have a layer of plastic coating | Tuchong Creative

The better news is that a process that truly uses only base paper and gets rid of plastic is also emerging - a company has developed acrylic polymer coating technology, using water-based acrylic emulsion as a barrier to ensure performance. Acrylic polymer is a polymer material, not a traditional plastic, with stable chemical properties, not easy to produce harmful substances, and can be biodegraded.

Compared with non-degradable PE coated paper cups, acrylic polymer coated paper cups can be recycled and repulped to make new paper, saving resources; compared with degradable PLA coated paper cups, they have lower carbon emissions and are more environmentally friendly. [1]

Daily Chemical Products

Washing, brushing teeth, and body care are daily necessities for personal hygiene. However, plastics are also present in daily chemical products that we use every day. Plastic microbeads have been widely added to daily cleaning chemical products such as facial cleansers, soaps, shower gels, scrubs, makeup removers, bath salts, and oral care toothpastes , usually to remove dead skin, deep cleanse the skin, scrub, and polish. [3]

Plastic microbeads are widely added to daily chemical products such as scrubs｜TuChong Creative

Plastic microbeads are solid plastic particles smaller than 5mm. They are non-degradable and very small, making them difficult to be collected by sewage and garbage disposal systems. They often flow into rivers and oceans , causing microplastic pollution and threatening the marine environment and ecosystem. What's more serious is that plastic microbeads may also be ingested by marine life such as fish and eventually eaten by humans through the food chain.

As the work on microplastic pollution has been carried out in depth, at the end of 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Guidelines for Industrial Structure Adjustment (2019 Edition)", which clearly stated that daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads should be banned from production by December 31, 2020, and banned from sale by December 31, 2022. [4]

Tobacco Filters

Both smoking and secondhand smoke are harmful to human health, and discarded cigarette butts also harm the health of the environment.

Common materials for tobacco filters include polypropylene fiber and acetate fiber. Polypropylene is a common non-degradable plastic. Acetate fiber is a degradable plastic made from natural cellulose such as wood and cotton linters, which is processed by chemical industry. Although it is a degradable plastic, it degrades very slowly without industrial composting conditions . Under natural conditions, it takes several years or even more than ten years for acetate fiber used as a filter to degrade.

Guokr Nature once made a video about picking up trash. Among the trash picked up, besides food packaging, the second most common thing was cigarette butts. | Tuchong Creative

According to the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup report, cigarette butts are one of the most common forms of litter in coastal areas , and for many years have been the No. 1 in volunteer litter cleanups (replaced by food packaging in recent years). There have been some proposals to replace tobacco filters with more biodegradable plastics, but the problem is that discarded cigarette butts not only cause plastic pollution, but also release toxic chemicals , such as nicotine and heavy metals, which can pollute soil and water quality and harm plants and animals.

chewing gum

What should we do if we accidentally swallow chewing gum? When we were young, adults scared us by saying that it would "stick to our intestines". As we grow up, we know that it will be excreted naturally. But do you know why it will not be digested? That's because chewing gum may be a piece of plastic.

The main component of chewing gum is a substance called "gum base", which carries the flavor of the gum and allows the gum to be chewed continuously. The formula of gum base is often a "trade secret" and is prepared by the manufacturer using high molecular polymers in different proportions. [7] But generally speaking, the main ingredients of gum base contain synthetic rubber and polyethylene. Polyethylene is also a common material used to make plastic bags and bottles .

The city wall covered with chewing gum | Tuchong Creative

If we chew plastic in our mouths, won't microplastics harm our health? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has evaluated the safety of chewing gum bases. According to existing research results, these plastic ingredients are safe to use in chewing gum. Considering that some consumers are reluctant to ingest plastic, there are currently some chewing gum brands that do not contain plastic.

Wet wipes

In the post-epidemic period, wet wipes have become an indispensable daily necessity in the lives of many people. However, the use of wet wipes is not environmentally friendly. Wet wipes are made of non-woven fabrics, water and other additives. Non-woven fabrics sound like "cloth", but in fact they are also a kind of plastic.

The main fibers currently used to produce nonwovens include polypropylene (63%) and polyester (23%) . Both are chemical fibers and the main polymer components of synthetic plastics. They are almost impossible to degrade into environmentally friendly substances in the natural environment. [8]

Takeaway bags are also made of non-woven fabrics | Photo provided by the editor

At present, many organizations are developing biodegradable and environmentally friendly wipes to alleviate the corresponding plastic pollution problem.

Laundry Pods

Laundry beads are becoming a popular household item. A thin film encapsulates laundry detergent, softener and disinfectant, but it quickly dissolves in water. What exactly are they made of? Their main ingredient is polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a biodegradable plastic .

After use in a washing machine, the completely dissolved polyvinyl alcohol water-soluble film will be discharged into the sewer along with the washing wastewater and purified by wastewater purification facilities. Even if the wastewater is discharged directly onto the surface or underground, the polyethylene liquid will be decomposed by microorganisms in the soil within 180 days and will eventually be completely degraded into carbon dioxide and water. [9]

Laundry beads melt when exposed to water | Tuchong Creative

However, there are now studies questioning whether PVA can be completely degraded in the natural environment , but not everyone agrees with this research. In February of this year, James Gennaro, a Democratic city councilman in New York City , proposed a bill to ban the sale or distribution of laundry beads or laundry tablets containing polyvinyl alcohol (also known as PVA or PVOH) . If approved, the bill will take effect on January 1, 2026. Gennaro said he is very concerned about the impact of PVA on aquatic ecosystems and hopes to convene the scientific community to decide the fate of PVA together.

Nail Polish

Traditional manicures are usually made of petroleum-based plastic (ABS), which is non-biodegradable and isolates oxygen and moisture , which is why you usually feel "stuffy" after getting a manicure.

At present, some companies are developing degradable nail polish, which is made of degradable material polylactic acid (PLA). Polylactic acid can be degraded in a specific environment and is relatively more environmentally friendly.

From the above examples, we can see that it is almost difficult to avoid all plastic products in our lives. With a deeper understanding of microplastics and nanoplastics, the extent to which plastics penetrate the environment and human body may be beyond our current imagination. Reducing dependence on plastics is not only for other creatures on the earth that are deeply trapped in plastic pollution, but also for the health of human beings themselves.

References

[1] Zhang Zhuoran, Lin Qinbao, Xiao Ziyang. Environmental impact assessment of disposable paper cup production process[J]. Packaging Engineering, 2022, 43(13):7.

[2] The humble tea bag made me anxious. [OL]. 2020-05-24. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/EqXNAMEpkIQ2JiEcN05Ewg

[3] Huang Kaisheng, Chen Zehong, Liao Jia, et al. Research on identification methods of plastic microbeads in daily chemical products and risk investigation[J]. Guangdong Chemical Industry, 2021.DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1007-1865.2021.10.025.

[4] Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue (2019 Edition). [OL]. 2019-11-06. https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2019-11/06/content_5449193.htm

[5] Lin Yun. Research progress of cigarette filters[J]. Science and Technology Information, 2013(25):1.DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1001-9960.2013.25.383.

[6] Ma Guocheng, He Zhen, Chen Shaojun. Research progress on the degradability of cellulose acetate[J]. China Plastics, 2022, 36(9):111-121.DOI:10.19491/j.issn.1001-9278.2022.09.016.

[7] The source of plastic pollution is not only plastic bags, but also chewing gum. [OL]. 2021-12-01. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/sLd_9v8VyO33FfTdy9R_-Q

[8] Aren’t non-woven bags used for takeout environmentally friendly bags? Are they also “plastic bags”? [OL]. 2023-08-15. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/b0beoOjDqExqclvi9mb3oA

[9] The UK will ban plastic wipes! How can we solve the environmental problems of wet wipes? [OL]. 2022-09-16. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ExX6IVAaPPnY08Mg8gAtFg

[10] Wang Ximei, Liu Jiale, Li Donghua. Application of polyvinyl alcohol water-soluble film in laundry detergent beads[J]. China Detergent Industry, 2022(1):5.

[11] Is plastic irreplaceable? You’ve definitely never seen these new materials! [OL]. 2021-08-04.https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/EPiSsh9o4PK3kusN8zJLKQ

Author: Baiyu

Editor: Yellowtail Pollock, Mai Mai