The Newest Plastic Pollution Problem: Flip Flops

[Sea Save Foundation]

Three billion people a year purchase new flip flops, with an average lifespan of two years. What happens to all those discarded flip flops? They end up in garbage dumps and in waterways that lead to the ocean. Approximately ninety tons of flip flops end up on East Africa beaches due to currents from places such as Asia, India and China. Scroll to number 4 to read more

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I go barefoot or wear my most beaten up hiking boots to the beach ... holes and all.

 

[buiszie]

Thats correct. When we are doing beach and reef clean ups we always find a lot of flip flops. What can we do about it? that is a hard question. We living in a consumption economy. This means we have to continue to consume to keep the economy running. Thats why things will break, will get broken etc. Other good examples are TVs, Computers, Mobiles, tablets. What will happen with them. What will happen with all the batteries. The world have to change their mind setting. And we have to get rid of the consumption economy.

 

[tilikum]

That is never going to happen.

 

[The Chairman]

The Beach of Lost Soles, Caiman Brac

These weren't a tenth of the flips, Crocs and shoes that washed up on this end of the island.

 

[iamrushman]

lets use hemp products...

 

[tilikum]

Hemp isn't the holy grail either. It's the constant single use and waste of consummables. I hate to put things in a picture of doom and gloom, however that is the reality and our species is never going to change.