It all started with the cloths. Those less pretty plastic cloths that we all used once. They eventually wore out and all the wear and tear ended up in our aquatic environment. And it still kind of does. Because the microplastics are not just in the cloths. It is probably in the majority of most people's wardrobes. Conventional clothing is often made of synthetic material – or plastic if you want. These are substances such as polyester, polyamide (or nylon), acrylic and elastane (also known as spandex or lycra). The materials cannot absorb moisture and are therefore often mixed with other fibres.
All the fibers are produced from crude oil – like most other plastics..The oil is refined and separated into molecules. It is mixed with cellulose, coal, natural gas and salt – and whupti, you have a nice sweater :-)
Where does microplastic come from?
It is not only textiles that emit microplastics. In fact, car tyres, paint, road markings and our footwear are also huge culprits in releasing microplastics. And these account (together with the clothes) for approx. 75% of all microplastics that end up in streams and the sea. Approx. 24% comes from larger pieces of plastic that have ended up in the sea and been broken down into microplastics. And the last part – 1% – originates from cosmetics, toothpaste and other hygiene products.
Every time we wash our synthetic clothes, microplastics are released, which are released into our aquatic environment.
Much of the microplastic is collected in a treatment plant, which collects all excess material and calls it sludge. The sludge is passed on to farmers who spread it on his fields as fertilizer. And thus microplastics are also included in our food production. A vicious plastic circle. Unfortunately, plastic is also found in fish and shellfish, so there is no doubt that we consume plastic as part of our meals. The plastic is of course not healthy to consume, but the problem is also that various chemical substances with which the sea water is polluted get stuck on the plastic with the risk of ending up in our food.
So what can we do to reduce our emissions of microplastics?
Here comes some good advice:
- Buy clothes in natural materials. Wool, cotton, linen, hemp and silk are good examples.
- Buy footwear with natural rubber soles
- Use rags and scouring sponges made from natural materials
- Consider plastic-free paint the next time you have a painting project
- Minimize your consumption of plastic in general – buy sustainable goods that last much longer
- Clean up nature when you see litter floating around
Do you want to know more about microplastics? The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has produced an exciting report here and adbad.dk has also written a bit about the same subject here.