How long till it’s “gone”?

Have you ever noticed that plastic is everywhere? It’s in lots of things we use every day, from our toothbrushes and shampoo bottles to our binders and chairs. Plastic sure seems handy, doesn’t it? Well, not everything is as good as it seems!

The problem with plastic is that it takes a really (we mean REALLY) long time to break down. And when it finally does, it doesn’t actually disappear. It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics, which then get into the air, our water, and our food.

See if you can guess how long each plastic item takes to break down into microplastic!

Join the Rangers vs. Plastics Challenge and help us kick plastic waste out of the game for good!

When you join this challenge, you will do things like…

Be a Recycling Referee
Slam Dunk Washroom Junk
Talk (Plastic) Trash

Look for it in the Challenges section of the Earth Rangers App.

Heads Up, Earth Ranger: Don't share any personal details in your comments (like your last name, school name, or even age). The Earth Rangers team checks all comments to keep it safe and fun for everyone!

588 COMMENTS

  1. Did you guys know that there’s an island made completely out of garbage?!?!?!And guess what.ITS THE SIZE OF TEXAS!!!!i wish all of the earth rangers could meet in real life so we could clean it up.Althogh I don’t know how we could do that considering it’s in the water.like maybe half the depth of the ocean deep.its that far in.OK,maybe I’m over doing it,but you guys get it,right?Ya know,water happens to always be sorta deep and big whenever it’s a lake or something.or even in general.now my fingers hurt from typing to much.Owwwwww!!!