Included in the plastic rubbish you can see, is the burden of microplastic you cannot. As small as a split human hair or as big as 5mm, 16 billion tons of the small stuff is already sitting on the floors of oceans. Picture: iStock

This  is the simple question posed by Friends of the Earth: Are you eating your own clothes?

According to a study led by led by Dr Liam Morrison, from the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Galway (2021), 90% of our protected waterways, 79 areas of Special Conservation (SPAC) in Ireland, show the presence of micro-plastics (MP), also referred to widely as micro-fibres or nano-plastics.

As fine as half a human hair and up to 5mm in length in some cases, these tiny manmade particles and strands have shown up everywhere from the gills of fish to the placenta and faeces of newborn babies.

Spreading from the source, and dancing in the tides, nanoplastics wreak havoc on the marine environment, and fragment and break down into smaller pieces that don’t biodegrade. 

They then become even more nimble and can be ingested by fish and other sea life, bio-accumulating in the bodies of larger animals. 

These invaders have proven small enough to trans-locate to every human organ. Australian scientists estimated in a 2020 research study, that close to 16 billion tons of the small stuff is sitting on the floors of oceans already with 2.2 million tons added to that burden every year.

MP is physically and chemically toxic, and attracts other bio-pollutants into what one leading Amsterdam-based environmental foundation fighting against the domestic plastic load has taken as its own brand — Plastic Soup.

In Ireland, our sub-tidal zones are providing “sinks” holding onto this abundant pollutant. The NUIG research suggests that the clear fibre content of microplastics load in our vulnerable waterways, shores and marshes, appears to have come from grey (waste) water sources. 

Top of the list is the widely dispersed contents of washing machines. Clothing and home accessories made from or containing microplastics inevitable shed part of their make-up when used or worn, and when agitated and rinsed in a washing machine.

Dr Morrison explains: “Less than 25% of plastics are recycled worldwide, and this this problem is very specific to clothing. 100 years ago we wore all natural fibres – wool, cotton, leather and so on. The introduction of plastics has brought huge societal benefits, but in the last century, only 9% of the plastic waste has been recycled, with 79% ending up in soils, oceans, landfills and everywhere else. 

"Sadly, plastics have now become almost universally reviled, and Ireland remains the greatest producer of plastic waste in the EU, and the fourth worst in terms of recycling.”

The manmade clothing we love for its economy, feel and easy-care, is often composed of twisted filaments of petro-chemicals, and this includes nylon, polyamide, acrylic, rayon, spandex and polyester — with polyester thought to be the chief offender in the fight against MP. 

Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara in a study funded by prestige sporting clothes brand Patagonia found that every time a synthetic fleece jacket was washed it released 1.7 grams of MP. Older jackets shed almost twice as many fibers as new jackets.

Ocean Clean Wash, a multi-national campaign group raising awareness of the problem of microfibers, adds: “Plastic particles washed off from products made with synthetic materials contribute up to 35% of the primary plastic that is polluting our oceans. 

"Every time we do our laundry, an average of 9 million micro-fibres are released into wastewater treatment plants that cannot filter them.” 

The 36 billion loads of washing estimated to be carried out in Europe every year is having a real, and pervasive impact. So, what can you do to turn this toxic tide with new behaviours at home?

“The messaging is not easy to accept when we are faced with cheap clothing, and it’s not just fleeces producing MP, it’s tights and even mixed fibres like T-shirts (with a high cotton content)," says Dr Morrison.

"The solution is to start at source with the washing machine, removing the fibres from our wastewater. This damaging output to the environment is where we have a chance to stop this pollution happening. 

"I think the responsibility should ultimately be taken back to the appliance manufacturers, forcing them in introduce filter technology in new machines."

Ten tips to fight MP from your wash

If your washing machine is at the end of its life (80% of its carbon footprint was in its making; wait until the machine is really toes up before replacing) look out for changes in the very near future to environmental specifications. 

The white goods industry in the UK and Europe is under pressure to introduce new MP filters to washing machines to prevent these contaminants being lost to the grey water. Water-less washing machines using pressurized carbon dioxide to clean our clothes are still only a pilot project.

Simply going smugly to wool and cotton — well, it’s complicated. Some natural materials demand a heavy chemical content in their production and finishing. Just be more aware of what you’re buying. 

Become a label reader. If you have always been sniffy about second-hand clothing, it’s time to stick your designer toes into the circular economy.

Shedding of all fibres in your clothes is caused by the friction and turbulence in your machine, grinding materials against each other. By running the machine full, you reduce the movement of the load, and the stresses on the textile.

Anything you find in your tumble dryer filter or any future micro-fibre filter, should go to the black bin, not the recycling or worse still, be thrown down the drain, as it’s full of synthetic particles

According to Ocean Clean Wash and Dr Morrison agrees, powder has a more abrasive method of cleaning, while liquid disperses and is softer on weaves. Gentle the wash water further by using fabric softener too.

Hand washing with a liquid detergent and spot cleaning is a good option for a few key pieces in your weekly loads — again reducing stress and shed of the garment or accessory by washing them less often where possible.

Obviously, the more intense and lengthy the wash, the more micro-fibres will be loosened and released. This can be millions of displaced nano-fibre carried away with the wastewater in a standard load. 

Turning down to 30C and shortening the wash times will reduce the kW demand too, saving you money.

An Italian study by the impossibly titled, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB) in 2020 found less shed from - “a very compact woven structure and highly twisted yarns made of continuous filaments, compared with those with a looser, structure (knitted, short-staple fibres, lower twist).” 

This does not mean that more expensive, flat-weave clothing gets a pass – all synthetic clothing is likely to shed fibres on washing.

Reducing shed and gathering the micro-fleece at source in terms of laundering is the ideal. It’s a big ask, but if you have about €60 and are handy enough, there are retrofit micro-plastic filters to suit more brands of washing machine. 

Planetcare offers a starter kit with three replacement filters to last up to 60 loads that they claim will reduce 90% of the microfiber loss to your wastewater. Fitting time, is just ten minutes, planetcare.org

Use a “nano-ball” or woven, mono-filament laundry bag

Placed directly in the wash, the Cora Ball snags tangled fibre and hair in fabrics, reducing the level of microfibre shed. It’s effective to around 33% according to their third-party testing, and is priced just under €50 (buy a bundle of three for €115 with a couple of interested friends if you want free shipping from the States). 

According to the German, Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, on average 86% fewer fibres of synthetic clothing break when washed with a Guppyfriend washing bag.

The fibres that do break collect in the corners of the washing bag. Most of the microfiber is trapped directly in the bag. Introducing an enclosed envelope, your machine’s mechanical washing fins may not work quite as efficiently. Priced at €30 plus delivery.

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