FISHING FOR PLASTIC IN THE GREAT PACIFIC PATCH

Heard about the ocean cleanup? In 2013, the attempt to clean massive patches of plastic in the ocean officially began. Just recently, Mission One from the Great Pacific Patch was completed and the first 'plastic catch' reached the shores of Vancouver, Canada. The next great step is to create 'something' of value from this debris. It may be hard to imagine a product made from plastic taken out of the ocean, but there is no limit to man's creativity. Will it be some accessory? some art? something practical?- We don't know yet. What we do know is that all proceeds go to funding the project. Hey, with the Great Pacific Patch the size double of the state of Texas, there will be plenty to go for everyone.

This 'pollution to product' idea is a great example of a circular economy. The circular economy is a regenerative approach where resources (like plastic) are not considered 'disposable' but rather a resource that can be used even after its first life. For many years we've been designing, moulding and using plastic only for its first intended use. After it no longer serves its first purpose, we dispose of them without a second thought. It's only when we started seeing plastics not decomposing and returning to earth, washing up to our oceans and killing our animals, we realized that they hang around earth for hundreds of years!

If we think of plastics of resource, we will probably think twice about how we make them and how we 'dispose' of them. Plastics are a product of earth's natural resources, which is finite. When we think of plastics as a finite resource, we would will make the switch to rapidly renewable natural resources. Bamboo is one very good example.

With the rising popularity of plastic free solutions, the rise of bamboo hair brushes, bamboo tooth brushes and more, it's providing consumers with more choices.

With all these plastics retrieved from the ocean, we are taking back this resource previously thought of as waste, now becomes something of value.

Let's hope the we can continue cleaning this mess so the next generation won't have to inherit it. That's some good news for today.

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See what people are saying...

For our new years resolution we as a family wanted to use less plastic. I chose the Nup toothbrushes together with my 10 year old daughter and she absolutely loves the designs! Great quality and great design!

Linda Grootberg, Nup Customer

I normally have medium bristles so I was a bit skeptical if this toothbrush would clean my teeth properly. Luckily they do a very good job. Will continue to buy here.

Boris Stein, Nup Customer

Love these!!! I bought Bamboo toothbrushes before from other brands but they look so boring. If I am going to help the earth I might as well do it with a fun design on the product!

Miranda Cheung, Nup Customer

I bought a couple for my whole family. What's great about it is each pack has 4 different designs so each of us (family of 4) tell who owns which. This month indicator is a great plus.

Faith Manuel, Nup Customer

Happy with it. First of all, I I would choose these toothbrushes even if sustainability was not a factor. I was really wasn't sure if I was going to like these, but wanted to check them out, because I'm step-by-step working on reducing my trash impact on the world in every way I can, small and large. Now I'm happy to report that I love the way these feel in my hand and in my mouth. The contour of the bristles is effective in getting good surface contact, and they are just the right balance between firm and gentle. I'm not sure what the bristles are made of, but at least my plastic trash has been reduced in a great way.

Louise Zimmerman, Nup Customer

These toothbrushes are fabulous! I can't speak highly enough about them. Perfect adult size tooth brush ... not too stiff not too soft. The handle fits nicely in your hands. So much nicer than plastic! I highly recommend

Jordan Rhodes, Nup Customer

Quality is good. I am buying this for our whole family! This is will be a life changing moment for us.

Edwin Alexander, Nup Customer

I was looking for an environmentally friendly toothbrush for a while. Although, I was afraid that the bristles would be too soft (which most of the bamboo toothbrushes are), but this one was great!! It was much more sturdy than I expected and I LOVE it. It comes with four toothbrushes so I gave one to my brother and hopefully I can convince my other family members to make the switch.

Haley Fuller, Nup Customer

I have been making an effort to be better not only to my body (using less chemicals, more organic, more natural) and also to the environment. When I realized even my toothbrushes can stick around far past their use causing more waste, I wanted to try something better. I found these toothbrushes and, with this one single purchase, have not only done something small to save the planet (hey, every little bit counts, right?) but also have toothbrushes for a solid year. These are great because they have these nice designs- and using one brush for three months each gets me through the year. I think all of my family is about to switch to these! They're great and I'm very happy to be doing my small part.

Opal Waters, Nup Customer

My entire family of 4 has been using these for about a month and I haven't had one complaint, and as anyone with kids and a husband knows, that means A LOT! Getting used to a wooden handle versus a plastic one takes a little getting used to, but the bamboo is of a high quality and it is not at all abrasive and over all, it is relatively smooth. It's not like you feel as if you are going to get splinters in your moth or that it is going to eventually break in half! My youngest is a toothbrush chewer abuses all of her toothbrushes horribly and this one held up great! I was also really impressed with the bristles. I was expecting them to be pretty tough but they were just the right texture to feel like they were really getting the job done but not hurting the gums at all.

Krista Reeves, Nup Customer