About Microplastics!

You might call me naive, but I hadn’t heard about microplastics until a year or two ago when I saw an ad about them and climate change. I didn’t think about it until this week when an article on chewing gum and microplastics, based on an American study, was on the news. An article I found on Scroll.in discusses how one plastic teabag releases over 10 billion particles of microplastic into a cup of tea. Am I the only one shocked by this number, especially since we aren’t entirely clear on its effects on the human body?

What are microplastics?

Microplastics can be synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, occurring in regular and irregular forms. Their sides can range from 1 mm to 5 mm. The origin of the way they were made can be both primary and secondary, and they are insoluble in water. Some of the sources include cosmetics, clothing, construction, renovation, food packaging, and industrial processes. There are divdied in two types: Primary and Secondary. In the primary case, the pieces of plastic that enter the environment are 5mm or larger in size. On the other hand, the secondary type is the piece that separates from that original piece.

How can it be solved?

We know more common-sense things, like limiting the use of single-use plastic since it takes 450 years for a plastic water bottle to decompose, so we’re talking a couple of generations, which is no joke. Here are tips that aren’t that common but useful for the environment and when things come full circle for us.

Wash clothing that are made from synthetic materials less often.

What can be done:

• Wash on a gentle settling
• Use filters to collect microplastics
• Look for natural fabrics like cotton, linen, hemp, or wool when buying new clothes

Reduce the use of or change synthetic garden tools.

Since gardening tools are typically left outside, exposed to weather elements over time, they break down and become part of the soil.

What can be done:

• Use gardening pots made from natural materials like clay, bamboo or coconut coir.

Limit fleece and synthetic blankets.

What can be done:

• Similar to clothing, it’s best to wash less often and look for natural fabrics like wool, cotton, or bamboo. These are biodegradable and, therefore, not a threat to the environment.
• Use filters and laundry bags when washing to collect as many microplastics as possible.

I will include the whole list if you want to check it out.

Alex

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