The biggest source of plastic in our fresh water is lint / Boing Boing

On average, you consume between 74,000 and 121,000 microscopic pieces of plastic each year. Probably a lot more. Where does this come from? According to a new study by Penn State Behrend chemist Sherri Mason, 60% of the microplastics in our fresh water come from the lint of laundry coming out of your washing machine and passing through the wastewater treatment plants. From American scientist:

While we clean our clothes, sheets and towels, tiny threads – commonly called microfibres – come off and wash. To better understand how microbeads and microfibers – which make up microplastics – travel in the Great Lakes and other freshwater systems, we wanted to know if they were disposed of in wastewater treatment plants.

After collecting and analyzing 90 samples from 17 different facilities across the United States, we confirmed that microplastics were being sent through wastewater treatment facilities. On average, each wastewater treatment facility released more than four million microplastics per day into US waterways: 60% fiber, 34% bead and 6% film and foam. With 15,000 of these facilities in operation in the United States, billions of microplastic particles are making their way into the wastewater of our freshwater home on which we rely.

(via Scientific American)

image: Amy / Bunnyfrogs (Flickr)

<! –

->