the negative effects of plastic on the environment are not a mystery and utilizing biodegradable alternatives is highly recommended be it disposable gloves, bags, or cutlery. Will the gloves that you wear and then throw away biodegrade over your lifetime, or will they outlive you if they are thrown away in a landfill? It is estimated that around 300 billion pairs of gloves are thrown away every year only in the United States. And of those 300 billion, just a tiny fraction are made of biodegradable materials. The longer these materials remain on earth, the greater the likelihood that wildlife will devour them, that our landfills will become clogged with them, that they will poison our oceanic ecosystems, and that they will contribute to an increase in the average temperature of the world. Since the early 2000s, annual demand for plastic has more than quadrupled, and the composting rate for these items is so poor that they will just continue to contribute to the problem we are having. Gloves are worn often in a variety of professions, ranging from retail to sanitation work. Gloves not only protect the wearer's hands but also enable them to perform better on the job. After the task has been completed, the gloves are removed; yet, the question remains: where are they stored? During the process of biodegradation, a carbon-based material undergoes a transformation in which it transforms from huge molecules into simpler components such as carbon dioxide, water, or ammonia before being returned to its natural habitat. The process of biodegradation, which is a part of nature's waste management system, converts substances, such as yard waste and crude oil, into nutrients that may be consumed by other creatures in the ecosystem. There are many different reasons why biodegradation is important. Products that are biodegradable have the advantage of being able to decompose in a much more expedient and straightforward manner than other options. During the process of composting the items as well as during the production process, there is a considerable reduction in the amount of carbon emissions produced. And since they are built of sustainable materials, they have a tendency to decompose into carbon dioxide, water vapor, and organic molecules, all of which do very little or even no harm to our environment when they are broken down. Non-biodegradable items, in contrast to biodegradable wastes, are not capable of decomposing readily and frequently have impacts that are not easily reversed on our planet. Because of their longevity and low production costs, non-biodegradable materials, such as plastics, have emerged as crucial components in a variety of product categories, including packaging. Plastic garbage, on the other hand, does not break down easily and often takes thousands of years to completely disintegrate. Because of the rising production and consumption of plastic around the world, non-biodegradable products are contributing to the clogging of our landfills, the endangerment of our marine life, and the massive accumulation of gas emissions that cause the average temperature of the planet to rise, a phenomenon that is more commonly known as climate change. Because they provide a wealth of benefits and functions, latex disposable gloves are a popular choice for usage in both medical and industrial settings. When the user does not have an allergy to nitrile, latex gloves provide several benefits over nitrile gloves. These advantages include greater tactile sensitivity, lower overall costs, and greater durability in any given circumstance. A typical issue for eco-conscious users is "are latex gloves biodegradable?" The quick response is... Yes. Latex is not produced by humans. The raw material may be obtained by extracting natural rubber from trees of the Hevea Brasiliensis species. After a certain amount of time has passed, the tree's rubber and the elements that are removed from it generate components that are capable of decomposing and composting. Even though latex gloves are not created entirely out of rubber, they are still mostly constructed out of rubber, hence they are considered to be biodegradable. Nitrile gloves have been a popular choice among customers ever since its introduction to the market in the middle of the 1990s. This is due to the fact that they are constructed from Nitrile Butadiene Rubber, a type of synthetic rubber that does not trigger latex allergies in people. Nitrile gloves have many advantages, including the following:
- extended period of shelf life
- Three times the resistance to puncture and chemicals compared to a standard latex glove
- minimal cross contamination
- when gloves are worn, there is a reduction in the resistance to friction
What about the drawbacks? Nitrile gloves are not biodegradable. Landfills all around the world are reaching capacity as a direct result of the brisk increase in the human population as well as the strong demand for biodegradable nitrile gloves. In addition, the rate at which these gloves break down into their component parts is a great deal lower than the rate at which they are thrown away. Nitrile gloves that are not biodegradable do not have the capacity to entice microbial activity, which is necessary in order to initiate the breakdown process. In the vast majority of instances, the absence of organisms that may break down the material leaves the gloves vulnerable to degradation at the hands of other factors, including as heat, moisture, and light. The length of time it takes for these things to decompose is what ultimately results in hazardous releases of carbon and contamination of our air, water, and land.