So what CAN you do about microplastic pollution?
Sam m -
Hi everyone! We’ve talked about microplastics and plastic pollution a fair amount on this blog. What we haven’t discussed too much are the steps you/society at large can take to help.
Much of the microplastic issue starts with general consumer habits, especially those with ties to convenience. For example, fruits in prepackaged bags or the plastic around a granola bar. The plastics in those products, once thrown away, usually do not degrade for a very long time and do of course release microplastics. These are what is called ‘single-use plastics’. Recently, there’s been a push to ban these types of plastic in many cities and parts of the world. For example, the European Union has recently pushed for restrictions on single-use cutlery, plates, and food containers, and you might of heard of plastic straw bans (which can be controversial and have been the target of some political backlash as of late). Another really common source of plastic pollution is clothing. As it turns out, a lot of clothing has polyester or nylon fibers in it. When we wash them, they release an amount of those fibers that aren’t caught by filters and those fibers escape into the environment. There have also been moves to decrease pollution from this source as well. Those are some of the most common, but there are truly countless sources and there are a surprising amount of items with plastic in them. Regardless of the source, there are a few general things you can do:
- Try to choose products that don’t use unnecessary plastic. If you have the option, choose the one with less/no plastic!
- If you buy something with plastic (which is basically inevitable), do try to recycle!
- Support legislation and local measures. This is probably one of the most important things you can do, especially supporting local measures since these tend to be overshadowed by national level policy.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading!
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