top of page
Search
Simple Shoemaking

Flip Flop Facts: Find Out


This article will give you an idea of why I created a flip-flop that lasts forever. The sole is made of conveyor belt scraps and the straps are made from bicycle inner tube. However, the straps can be made of other materials, such as fabric and leather. If the inner tube straps wear out, I imagine that finding new bicycle inner tubes anywhere in the world isn’t that daunting of a chore.

Millions of discarded flip flops posing huge hazard to ocean life

We have been posting a lot of news on the hazards of plastic waste in our oceans, but I bet you have not considered this everyday item that is posing a huge plastic pollution problem. Flip flops, like yours are ubiquitous around the world and millions are discarded every day.

“Over three billion people can only afford that type of shoe,” says Erin Smith of Ocean Sole. “They hang on to them, they fix them, they duct tape them, mend them and then usually discard them.” Smith adds that the average lifespan of a flip flop is two years. This very inexpensive footware is popular throughout Asia and the developing world, especially in tropical zones. (photo – CNN)

Most of us think of beaches along the east African coast as little visited and pristine, however Smith points out that is not so. “We are actually receivers of pretty much the rest of the emerging world’s marine pollution.”  And a lot of the pollution that is carried to the beaches of East Africa are discarded flip flops — approximately 90 tons a year, states Ocean Sole, a conservation group and recycling collective.

Kenya is part of the problem also, one Kenyan company produces 100,000 pairs a day and because of inadequate waste removal, many of those are destined for the ocean. The problem of flip flops littering beaches is not just aesthetic, but a health hazard to human and marine life. Read more on CNN World. Plus see our posts on how micro-plastics end up in our sea food

.

Did you know that flip flops are frequently seen bobbing around in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, that enormous, Texas sized, swirling gyro of ocean waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.


Flip Flops Are Forever

The world loves flip flops, they are comfortable, cheap and don’t fall apart in the weather. However, that’s also a big part of the problem, when they are discarded they don’t go away. They stay forever in landfills or make their way into the ocean. Many of the older and cheaper ones are made of non-recyclable plastics, that contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates, cadmium and lead, everything together makes these sandals carcinogenic to humans and toxic to animals and plants. So, a lot of these plastic compounds cannot be incinerated because of health concerns.

56 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Tools for Simple Shoemaking

Tools - harness needles - These needles have a big eye and a blunt point, so they aren't likely to split the plies of a thread that may...

Comments


bottom of page