Are Self-Destructing Toys a New Trend?

For worried parents, self-destructing toys will not breakdown within your child's lifetime. A new line of toys made from vanishing plastic were reported to breakdown once thrown away. With triggers such as excessive heat, sunlight, or even sewage bacteria, the toy will naturally break down when thrown away. The plastic toy will simply vanish -- no explosions and no injuries.

Although many people would naturally think twice about its safety, this new form of "plastic" will be used to make child-friendly toys. It could also be used to create other materials like packaging, furniture, and other gadgets. According to a report from the Daily Mail, the main purpose of the development of this high-tech material is to significantly reduce the amount of plastic wastes found in the ocean.

Just this year, there was a report saying that if there is no action done to save the oceans, the amount of plastic waste in the ocean will significantly outweigh the weight of all fishes in the next 30 years. The problem is that plastic waste is one of the largest contributors of wildlife death in the ocean. As it breaks down, it becomes indigestible food for fishes and other sea creatures. It also reduces the amount of sunlight entering the water, preventing phytoplankton from photosynthesizing.

According to the study of Professor Scott Phillips, he does not only target the reduction of plastic waste from toys but also thinks of expanding to other industries which are larger culprits of waste production. Special polymers have been used to make plastic products. These polymers, which are made from chain-linked molecules, are fused with temperature sensitive units which can breakdown or self-destruct in the presence of a chemical trigger.

When it breaks down, it releases small amounts of gases until it completely disappears. These new plastic materials are yet to be mass-produced and have been produced only in small scales as a demonstration.