How the world's most polluted island inspired us to tackle the plastic problem at its source:
our households.
Henderson Island
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean lies a small uninhabited island. Every day thousands of pieces of plastic wash ashore here, so many by now, that Henderson Island is the most plastic-polluted island in the world.
40 million (40,000,000) pieces of plastic on an island where no people live; let that sink in.
- About 3,600 plastic items wash ashore on Henderson Island every day. Most of these are bottles, caps and disposable items such as toothbrushes. -
- Meanwhile, hermit crabs on the island build their homes in plastic caps instead of shells. -
We have been warned
We should see Henderson Island as a warning to our own habitat. On the island, the ecosystem is already quite degraded and it is becoming more difficult for animals to survive. Logical, since our planet and its inhabitants were not made to be covered in plastic.
- The waste we see with the naked eye is not even the biggest problem. Once the plastic breaks down into microplastics, it becomes virtually impossible to clean up. Then these microplastics end up in the ocean, fish, the food we eat, and eventually in our own bodies. -
How we can make an impact together
Even though Henderson Island is tens of thousands of miles from our homes, we can still make an impact from home. For example, is it really necessary to buy plastic containers 90% of which are filled with water, only to throw them away after a single use?
Henderson Planet thinks it's time for a change, and with hand soap tablets is taking the first step toward a future where plastic no longer enters our homes unnecessarily, so it doesn't end up in the wrong place either.