Plastic pollution from having clean clothes?
Did you know that some scientists believe we are polluting our water from doing laundry?
I recently saw an advertisement that claims that a company can help one reduce microplastic pollution through their daily activities. I followed the clickbait to come to a company that sells a filter system for laundry washing machines. They claim that with their system, they can filter 99% of microplastics from 30 loads of laundry. They cite that 30% of ocean microplastic pollution comes from washing laundry. I looked it up, and there are various studies that support this claim.
Some municipalities treat waste water to remove microplastics, however others suggest that the amounts are so much that water treatment facilities can not handle all the plastic, and that 1 percent gets lost. If we remove 99% ourselves, then the 1 percent that gets to the treatment plant is a lot less than the 1 percent that is untreated. For example, if you are sending 1000 particles to the plant, they will lose 10 particles with their system. However If you only send them 100 particles, then they will only lose 1...
I have not bought a filter yet, but perhaps our city, state, or country could offer an incentive program if it really works. This way people like me who don’t have the budget for additional efforts could get these tools for free. I would also love to help my water treatment plant by using less water, but that’s a post for a different day.
A news article popped up this morning about a Dr. doing research into biodegradable filters for microplastic. I had to bookmark it to read about it later. The tldr is that she is doing research with a variety of plants that have shown to be very good at filtering out microplastics from both salt and freshwater. I have applied to work at my department of natural resources, with a background in volunteering with the Missouri Stream Team, to become even more involved in water help. I am very excited for the future as a practitioner of possibility.
If you want some unsolicited advice, one suggestion is to ask your treatment provider if they treat, and if they have heard of Dr. Srinivasan and her research. If you live in Missouri like me, you can even reach out to the DNR to see what they think and join the conversation to make strides to make the future a little bit brighter. Another help would be to pick up trash and recycle, or better yet join a group like the stream team to make an intentional effort.
What do you think, have you heard of this issue and this research into making our future a little bit brighter? Do you recycle or have your own filter on your washing machine? How is it going? I’m very interested to hear what others think.