Turns Out You're Probably Wearing a Lot of Microplastics

Bottles, bags, food wrappers, straws, and packaging. Plastic is everywhere—and yet some may be surprised at how much they actually wear. As the AP reports, a typical closet is loaded with plastic, woven into polyester activewear, acrylic sweaters, nylon swimsuits, and stretchy socks—and it's shedding into the environment nonstop. When garments are worn, washed, and put through the dryer, they shed plastic fiber fragments. A single load of laundry can release millions that are so tiny wastewater treatment plants can't capture them, sending them into waterways and the ocean. Marine animals eat them, and that passes to larger animals and humans. Even natural fabrics have chemicals that leach into the environment.

"Everyone who wears and launders clothing is part of this problem but ... can be part of the solutions," says Rachael Miller, founder of Vermont-based Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean. A look on this Earth Day:

• Clothes shed less when washed in cold water in full loads to reduce friction, on a shorter cycle, then hung to dry. And they can be washed less: Miller uses a stain stick to spot-clean.
• Inspired by the way coral filters the ocean, Miller invented the Cora Ball, a laundry ball that can be tossed into the washer to cut down on clothes banging into each other. Another option is to put synthetic fabrics in a washing bag that captures fibers.
• Garments that are loosely knit or woven tend to shed more, such as fleece. Don't rush to throw out clothing that's more likely to shed. Instead, wash it less frequently and think twice about acquiring similar garments. "I try not to guilt or panic people because a lot of this information is very new," Miller said.

• Filters can be added to washers to capture microfibers. Samsung collaborated with Patagonia and Ocean Wise to launch one in 2023. It's now sold in more than 20 countries for front-load washers. Bosch recently launched a microfiber filter in Europe for washers. US efforts to mandate filters have failed.
• Some big brands are testing their fabrics to help understand fiber fragmentation, including Adidas, Nike, Patagonia, and Under Armour. Patagonia has been a leader in trying to stop the spread of synthetic fiber waste into air and water, saying it's up to garment brands to prevent it at the source.

More here. (More Earth Day stories.)