As I continue researching and learning more about the toxins our washing machines are causing because of the microscopic fibers going into 83% of the world's drinking water, I am floored by how big this issue has become.
As individuals trying to improve this, we can:
1. Drink filtered water. Although this does not get out all of the microscopic pieces, it will help.
2. Become more aware of the issue and keep updated on changes occurring, such as products being made to be used in our washing machines.
3. Using these products to help reduce the plastic pollution (see information below about some things being worked on for individual use)
4. Washing our clothes less. Often times we feel something we have worn is dirty, but truthfully could it be worn at least another time before being washed?
5. Contacting your local water supplies to let them know you are aware of this issue and asking that they become more aware and develop ways to improve the plastic pollution in our drinking water.
6. Research and create ways (and share them if they work) to help our environment with this problem.
7. Share this information with others please!
A big thank you to www.theguardian.com for the following info:
Time to take action
Mark Browne, the researcher responsible for first bringing microfibers to public attention, said that the grace period is over.
“We know that these are the most abundant forms of debris – that they are in the environment,” Brown said. He added that government and industry must be asked to explain “what they are going to be doing about it”.
The Amsterdam-based Plastic Soup Foundation, an ocean conservation project co-funded by the European Union, said better quality clothing or fabrics coated with an anti-shed treatment could help.
The foundation’s director, Maria Westerbos, said a nanoball that could be thrown into a washing machine to attract and capture plastic fibers also seems promising.
Another solution may lie with waterless washing machines, one of which is being developed by Colorado-based Tersus Solutions. Tersus, with funding from Patagonia, has developed a completely waterless washing machine in which textiles are washed in pressurized carbon dioxide.
Others suggest a filter on home washing machines. More than 4,500 fibers can be released per gram of clothing per wash, according to preliminary data from the Plastic Soup Foundation.
But the washing machine industry is not yet ready to act. Jill Notini, vice president of communications and marketing for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, said the washing machine could very well be a source of microfiber debris, but that the proposed solutions are impractical.
“How do you possibly retrofit all of the units that are in the market and then add a filter in and talk to consumers and say, ‘Here is a new thing that you’re going to have to do with your clothes washer?’”
She added that the industry still has trouble getting people to clean lint from the filters in their dryers.
For Plastic Soup’s Westerbos, the reluctance of the industries that operate in that crucial place between the consumer and the world’s waterways can no longer be tolerated.
“It’s really insulting that they say it’s not their problem,” Westerbos said. “It’s their problem, too. It’s everybody’s problem.”
It's definitely time for us to take action in any way we can!
Colleen :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment