BY: JESSICA BEUKER
In an environmentally-friendly move by Scotland’s Government, the country is looking to ban, both the manufacture and sale of, plastic-stemmed cotton swabs. The move would make them the first country in the U.K. to do so.
The hope is that the ban will cut down on the country’s contribution to ocean plastic, possibly even by half, according to The Guardian.
The ban comes following concerns about the number of cotton swabs being flushed down toilets, where they end up in oceans, and subsequently in the stomachs of marine animals and birds, or washed up on beaches.
Many retailers have switched to biodegradable paper-stemmed swabs, but plastic still remains a large problem, especially since it is cheap to produce.
In addition to what countries like Scotland are trying to achieve, The Cotton Bud Project is an organization that aims to address concerns over plastic cotton swabs and encourage the industry to once and for all make the switch to biodegradable materials.
In order to help consumers understand exactly what happens when they dispose of cotton swabs down the toilet, The Cotton Bud Project has created the graphic below.
Visit the website to find out how you can help make a difference, and what brands of cotton swabs you can purchase that are plastic free.
