Laundry is a Significant Source of Plastic Fibers Found in our Waters - Be Mindful of Clothing You Purchase and How you Do Laundry

Laundry is a Significant Source of Plastic Fibers Found in our Waters - Be Mindful of Clothing You Purchase and How you Do Laundry

Clothing pieces are made up plastic microfibers that washers and dryers can break apart after repeated cleaning. Clothing, bedding, and other textiles shed microplastics in fiber form are major contributors to global plastic pollution. These microfibers come off the clothes during washing and enter our wastewater. Our waters and beaches have an overwhelmingly number of plastics inside of our waters and air.

To address the microfiber pollution problem, a few products have cropped up that claim to keep microplastics out of wastewater when you wash your clothes. Though these products won’t singlehandedly solve the massive global problem of microplastic pollution, they may raise awareness and help reduce wastewater pollution on an individual scale.

Where do plastic microfibers come from?

The yarns in our clothing are made up of filaments that are twisted together. During washing, with the effects of water, friction and abrasion, and detergents, those filaments shed. Different types of fabric shed more than others.

One potential solution to the microplastics problem is to buy clothing made with natural fibers—rather than polyester —whenever possible. However, even textiles labeled “100% natural” can contain chemical additives. Therefore, rather than switching to only certain fibers, reduce the microfiber shedding when doing laundry. Keep in mind that clothing also sheds microfibers into the air just by wearing them.

Wastewater treatment is effective at catching microfibers that come out in the wash; the microplastics move up the marine food chain or are taken up into crops through soil. Since microplastics do not biodegrade and are impossible to recover once released into habitats, the problem is only growing.

No matter the pathway, plastic microfibers from clothes have shown up in food, as well as in bottled water, tap water, beer, and sea salt. The microfibers that our clothing shed may have significant consequences for ecosystems in water and on land, as well as directly on our health…we have a major environmental problem linked to our clothes—how often we buy them, and how we care for them. Although this problem will not go away, we can take the following recommendations when doing laundry:

Laundry bags

Laundry balls

Laundry filters

Laundry sheets instead of regular detergent. The Laundry Sheets are easier to carry to the laundermat.

Avoid delicate settings on your machine.

Do laundry less often and wash full loads.