Plastic Straws Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ivory

In the mid 19th century there was a shortage of ivory. This was caused by a growing popularity of the game of billiards and people were called to develop a substitute for the ivory used to make the balls. One of the first synthetic polymers was developed in 1869 in the United States. By 1907, the first totally artificial plastic was developed and coined as Bakelite. The real plastic boom, however, came during World War II, and, shortly after, plastic pollution was noticed in the world's oceans.

In short, to remedy one problem, another was created.

Answer: Pacific

Plastics take forever to break down and they usually float on water, especially salt water. Because of ocean currents, plastic waste in the oceans eventually reaches the centers of gyres, or circular ocean currents, where the current does not move it out. These plastics do not break down; instead, they break up into smaller and smaller particles until they are microscopic, but still polluting the waters!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest of the world's floating garbage 'islands'. It covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometers, or about three times the size of France (by a 2021 measurement). Most of the plastic is either just below the surface or microplastics, so it cannot be seen. However, it is still harmful. The Pacific ocean also contains a large patch in the south. The other major oceans all contain at least one massive garbage patch. Unfortunately, in an April 2022 study, an Arctic ocean garbage patch had been found to have been forming.

Answer: Southern Asia

According to an article by Forbes, most of the plastics in the ocean come from five countries. China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are the major polluters of plastics into the world's oceans. If you add India to that list, that covers the major polluters into the ocean, primarily by their industrial sector.

However, if you look at individual wastefulness, the United States is number one culprit on the list with the most wasteful people worldwide with a 2018 recycling rate of a pitiful 9.5% of garbage being recycled.

Answer: False

Municipal water supplies around the world have been testing positive for microplastics in the drinking water. In fact, microplastics have been found from the freshly deposited snowfalls of Antarctica to the drinking waters of the northern Canadian city of Whitehorse, Yukon.

They are in the deep sea and in the air you breathe. In fact, a 2022 study may show that an average person may ingest about five grams of microplastics every week. You might as well sit down and eat a credit card instead, it will be better for your spending habits and it's about the same amount of plastic.

Not only are people consuming it in the water they are drinking, but also in the food they are eating as well as the air they are breathing.

Answer: United Nations

The 2017 United Nations Ocean Conference was organized and held at the United Nations in New York, NY, USA, in June, 2017. It was intentionally scheduled to coincide with World Oceans Day, held yearly on June 8. By the end of it, all 193 member states were signatory to an action plan to help save the oceans and to inspire sustainability of the marine ecosystem. Over 6000 people took some part in the conference and many issues were raised, though foremost amongst them was the issue of pollution, specifically the plastics in the ocean.

Sweden and Fiji were the main hosts for the conference. The latter was chosen as the Oceanic representative since many of the Pacific nations were (and are) concerned about the immediate and imminent threat to their countries.

Answer: Cosmetics

The cosmetic industry has long been using microplastics in many (or even most) of its products. Microbeads are manufactured for use in shampoos, mascara, exfoliants, toothpaste, scrubs, baby wipes, and many more. These microbeads are small and often get washed down the drain. Since they are too small to be filtered, even at wastewater facilities, they enter the water and from there get into every aspect of our lives and into the environment.

Though some countries have passed legislation limiting or outright banning the use of microbeads in some products, they are still around in many aspects of our lives. They may pose the biggest threat to the environment in terms of plastic pollution.

Answer: Rivers

It is estimated that just over 80% of the plastic in the ocean gets there by runoff from the world's rivers. Previously it was thought that the ten largest rivers in the world contribute 60% to 90% of the plastic pollution in the ocean, but a 2021 study (Meijer, L. et al) showed that the smaller rivers play a larger role that previously estimated. What is well-known is that in 2021, 81% of the plastic pollution came from Asian rivers which shows that there are certain countries that need to focus their efforts on cleaning up their waterways in order to save the oceans of the world.

Answer: False

In the Sargasso Sea, a plastic-eating strain of bacteria was found. It was natural, clearly feeding on the abundance of plastic pollution in the waters, and broke down the plastics it was on. However, these bacteria have not been extensively studied to know whether the broken-down plastic residue in itself is toxic, harmful to the ecosystem, or detrimental to the environment... or not. Another thing is that it takes a normal amount of bacteria about three months to completely consume one plastic bag, so, the timescale that they might clean up the Earth's oceans is centuries, at best.

The final question about the bacteria is one that Michael Crichton raised in his book "The Andromeda Strain" - what will happen if these bacteria get out of control and become land-based?

Answer: True

It is estimated that between 8 to 10 million tons of plastic make their way into our oceans every year. On the other hand, only 9% of discarded plastics are recycled worldwide. Though many countries have a recycling program, many of them lack the ability to actually recycle the plastics efficiently and to reuse them in other products.

In fact, many developed countries sell their plastic waste to undeveloped countries who then store them in huge piles (which are susceptible to nature's forces, eventually reaching the ocean by natural means), burn them (releasing deadly toxins into the environment), or outright dump them illegally into the rivers and oceans.

It's a shocking state of affairs.

Answer: No

According to research, plastic straws make up less than one percent of the plastic waste that is thrown out. They are a symptom of a greater problem: single-use plastics are a major pollutant and a big problem for the environment. As one scientist said:
"Banning straws may confer 'moral license' - allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part. The crucial challenge is to ensure that these bans are just a first step." - Jim Leape, Co-director, Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions

This means that while companies may feel that by banning straws they are making a difference, this cannot be the end of their involvement in cleaning up the plastics in the world. There are many other steps that can be taken to reduce the waste that eventually ends up in our oceans.

If you, individually, want to go and make a difference, cutting out all single-use plastics will be a great start. However, that can be really difficult. A good first step would be to cut out plastic bottles, especially single-use water bottles. Another great step would be to stop using Ziploc bags.