Did you know that plastic was initially invented as a way to save the environment? 

We hear so much about plastic these days.

Single-use-plastic, microplastic, bioplastic, plastic bottles, plastic planet. It seems that plastic has taken over our oceans, our landfills, and our newsfeeds.

But what actually is it? Where did it come from? And why did we actually create it in the first place?

In this, the story of plastic, we take a journey all the way from plastic's initial creation to the plastic crisis we find ourselves in today. We then look forward, and offer potential solutions for a future without plastic. 

Read on to find out more. 

Virtuous Toothbrushes. Eventually every bit of petroleum-based plastic in our homes will need to be replaced with something more sustainable. Dylan Regan from Dublin has begun the process with a bamboo toothbrush with bristles infused with charcoal to help fight plaque. For every VirtueBrush sold, three trees are planted. Bamboo is a renewable resource that matures in three years compared to over a century for oak. It’s rapid growth (up to three feet a day for some species) makes for impressive carbon sequestration, about 70 per cent more than an acre of hardwoods.

VirtueBrush is a sustainable plant-based toothbrush made with a 100% Moso bamboo handle. From that point of view, it’s a favourable alternative to the plastic toothbrushes that can’t be recycled. That plastic often ends up in the landfill or makes its way into our waterways and causing damage to our environment.

Toothbrushes look like small innocent little items that help us clean our teeth, items we use every day. Collectively, though, it adds up to a lot of plastic.