Plastic is considered one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. It has been available since the early 1900s, and plastic was absolutely popular in the 1960s. It is hard to imagine what a modern world without plastic would look like. But the results were unbelievably good.

Different types of plastics can take 400 to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills. About 91% of them are not recycled. This means that most of the more than 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic products that end up as garbage still exist. So much plastic is discarded every year, enough to go around the earth four times.

We use a lot of plastic not only to damage the environment, but also to our own bodies and marine life. The chemicals in plastic interact with hormones and can cause many health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. Plastic fragments from bags, bottles, and other items containing chemicals can be ingested by marine animals and poison them.

As the negative environmental impacts became known, the world began to reconsider the practicality of plastics. Many countries and cities are trying to deal with the dependence of modern life on materials by banning the use of single-use plastics.

Several large companies are also working hard to reduce their environmental impact. For example, Starbucks sells reusable cups for $1, and you can use it to get a 10% discount on beverages.

Oh, bah! You eat the plastic equivalent of a credit card every week

In addition to governments and companies, individuals are also looking for ways to reduce their demand for plastics. They are launching sustainable products-from straws to trash cans, bottles and even dishwashers-changing the world of plastics one at a time.

In order to compile a list of environmentally friendly inventions that can replace plastics, 24/7 Tempo reviewed news reports about biodegradable products and articles on sustainable inventions by a non-profit organization known for protecting the environment.

Plastic straws can be seen everywhere. As many as 8.3 billion plastic straws are scattered on the coasts of the world, and they usually end up in the digestive system of marine organisms. These items have become a huge problem, and more and more countries and cities are completely banning them or restricting their use. Reusable metal straws can help replace disposable plastic straws.

It can be said that wearing a vinyl poncho is much more comfortable than bringing an umbrella on a rainy day. The problem is that most of these ponchos will be thrown away after a few uses, but they will not decompose for millions of years. Therefore, an Indonesian man with a biology degree used cassava to make poncho, bags and food packaging, which is a common vegetable in the country.

Imagine how much trash you would avoid accumulating if you don’t have to throw away the plastic sandwich bag. These food storage bags are made of 100% pure platinum silicone, fully functional, self-sealing, and most importantly non-plastic. They are both sealed and leak-proof.

At first glance, this is not intuitive. Eat the packaging of the product? this is possible. After all, it is made of plant-based materials. Ooho is made from seaweed extract. This material degrades in an average of six weeks in the natural environment—and a plastic bottle takes 450 years—unless you eat it.

Another popular plastic product that you no longer need to worry about-because you can eat alternatives-is tableware. Bakeys spoons, forks, and even chopsticks are made of sorghum, rice and wheat flour. They are baked in molds, and spices are sometimes added. You basically don’t have to buy dessert anymore—it’s already in your hands.

Considering that a person should use a new toothbrush every three to four months, it is frustrating to think about how much plastic waste we add to the landfill with the toothbrush alone. Plant-based toothbrushes have been around for several years. All components, even boxes and packaging, are made of bamboo or compostable castor bean nylon.

A bag that can become animal food after use and therefore has a dual purpose? This sounds too good to be true, but it is reality. EnviGreen, an Indian company, has found an alternative because plastic bags are banned in many cities. Its solution is a bag made of starch and vegetable oil derivatives. If animals don’t eat them eventually, the company says, the eco-bag will dissolve in one day.

Every different vegetable or fruit that you buy in the store is usually packed in a separate plastic bag. Therefore, people sometimes take 10-15 plastic bags home after a shopping trip. Sadly, these bags are usually only thrown into the trash can and will not be reused again. There are a variety of economical and reusable bags made of 100% cotton mesh and biodegradable materials.

Silicone stretch lids are an elegant alternative to aluminum foil or stretch wrap. These lids are very common. Think of all the money you save without having to buy Tupperware in various sizes. With silicone lids, you don’t even have to worry about putting them in the microwave to cause a fire. They are made of silica gel, so they can be placed there or in the freezer and ordinary oven.

One Ethique environmentally friendly solid shampoo is equivalent to five bottles of liquid shampoo. These sticks can also be used as conditioners, lotions and facial cleansers. The beauty company's name means ethics in French, and is headquartered in New Zealand. It has been voted the country's most sustainable company. These bars are made of coconut oil, cocoa butter, kiwi seed oil and essential oils.

Discussions about feminine hygiene are usually limited to areas where women lack basic knowledge, such as sanitary napkins and pads. The environmental impact of these products (a topic that is rarely discussed) is huge. A cushion that is about 90% plastic takes 500 to 800 years to decompose, and millions of cushions are used every day all over the world. Heyday uses corn and bamboo fibers to make sanitary napkins and pads. They begin to decompose only six months after disposal.

Sponges are one of the dirtiest items in the kitchen. People use them many times a day, but how often do they actually use boiling water or microwave cleaning to kill bacteria? The solution seems to be to make the sponge (mainly made of oil-based plastic) change frequently, which means a lot of trash. A better idea is to use sponges made of plants, which have a longer lifespan and are 100% compostable.

Did you know that most chewing gum contains plastic and other inedible materials such as rubber and wax? Plastic is indigestible, which means it will not break down in your body, you just need to take it with you. It seems logical that plastic-free chewing gum will eventually enter the market. The base of Simply Gum is made of harvested chicory (sap) instead of plastic and contains no artificial ingredients.

Beeswax food wrapping paper is another alternative to plastic bags used to store food. You can buy them online or make them yourself. All you need is beeswax beads, some kind of fabric, baking tray and parchment paper.

The name is a bit deceptive because they don't contain any soap; they just behave like them. Soap nut is a kind of berry shell, its function is similar to ordinary detergent, but it does not contain chemical additives. They grow in the Himalayas. Since saponin is a natural cleanser, these nuts can clean clothes. It penetrates into the fabric of the clothes to remove stains and dirt that are subsequently washed away. Imagine how many plastic laundry cans you can use to protect the environment.

Although people are talking about plastics and saving the environment, people don't pay much attention to garbage bags made of plastic. In the past few years, the use of plastic garbage bags has steadily increased. Compostable garbage bags can be made from potato starch and do not contain any plasticizers.

Liquid wood or arboform is a bioplastic composed of wood pulp-based lignin, hemp or flax, and wax. When mixed with other materials, it creates a non-toxic alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Liquid wood has been used to make certain car parts, boats, decks and other items.

There are more than 43 million households in the United States that own one or more dogs. Everyone has to walk at least twice a day. People usually clean them with plastic bags. This means that at least 86 million plastic bags are thrown away every day and decompose in landfills or in the ocean in the coming decades. This can be easily avoided if people use a garbage bag that can be quickly washed and dried over and over again. Fortunately, it is already on the market.

Women must change sanitary napkins or tampons every few hours. A menstrual cycle usually lasts 4-5 days or even a week. Do the math and you will get a very large cushion and tampons, which contain up to 90% plastic and fill up landfills every year. Menstrual cups that women can use repeatedly have become popular in the past few years. The cup can even hold up to three times as much liquid as a tampon.

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