This post has been updated. It originally published on Dec. 13, 2023.
It’s virtually impossible to go about our day-to-day lives without touching plastic, and it starts the second you wake up: The cellphone that stands in for an alarm clock, your toothbrush, your toilet seat, the keyfob for the car you drive to work. All that and more are made out of a variety of plastics that degrade into smaller and smaller pieces—the dreaded microplastics.
In addition to sloughing off the stuff we interact with every day, microplastics can get into the environment from roadside litter, mismanaged waste and recycling, incineration of larger plastics, and industrial pollution. They’ve been found everywhere from the soil we grow our food in and the air we breathe to Arctic ice and deep sea trenches—even in samples of people’s blood and organs. One July 2025 study even found that concentrations of the tiniest nanoplastic particles in the North Atlantic Ocean are even higher than previously thought.
We still need a lot more research to fully understand the human health impacts of microplastics, but we do know plenty about their negative impacts on the environment as they flow into oceans and embed themselves in the ground. And that’s before you consider the effects from embedded chemicals like flame retardants, pigments, PFAS, BPA, and phthalates.
Wholesale avoiding of plastics (and microplastic particles) is an impractical proposition, but there are things you can do to minimize producing more pollution or exposing yourself to potential risk. The good news is if you’ve already put yourself on a single-use plastic diet that cuts out things like disposable silverware, baggies, and straws, you’re already off to a superb start. These are some of the most effective tactics.
13 ways to avoid microplastics
It may not be possible to completely eliminate sources of microplastics and microplastic particles from our daily lives, but there are things people can do to try to curb producing more pollution.
1. Don’t drink bottled water
Unless it’s the only way you can get clean drinking water, wean yourself off of single-use bottles. While there are microplastic and even wee-er nanoplastic particles in what flows from many of our taps, the concentration in bottled water is much higher. In fact, a study published early this year found that there are 10 to 100 times more bits in them than previously thought. Even the act of cracking open the seal releases a cloud of the stuff.
2. Install a water filter
Both tap water and bottled water can contain microplastics, but adding a water filter to your tap can help minimize the problem. Effective filters include those that use activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ceramic barriers. A couple picks from our pals at Wirecutter are certified by the National Science Foundation to reduce how many particles get through; here’s their rec for a pitcher and a filter that installs under the sink.
3. Don’t put plastic in the microwave or dishwasher
High heat can spur the release of microplastic particles as well as chemicals such as phthalates. This means keep plastics out of the microwave and dishwasher—no matter how “safe” the packaging insists doing so might be.
4. Avoid excess packaging
Microplastics have been found in grub across the spectrum—from salt to energy drinks. You can minimize exposure by eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins whenever possible. (Skipping the produce bags can help, too.) Remember, though, this is no panacea: Contaminated soils can taint these foods as well.
Researchers also recommend avoiding any plastics with recycling codes 3, 6 and 7, which indicate the presence of phthalates, styrene, and bisphenols. Phthalates have been identified as endocrine disrupting, are linked to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, and can have negative effects on the immune system. According to the Children’s Environmental Health Network, styrene is believed to cause cancer. Bisphenol a, or BPA has long been shown to interfere with hormone receptors.
5. Switch to loose-leaf tea
For tea drinkers, a pivot to loose-leaf could be in order. Tea bags, which are typically made of plastic, are a major culprit of microplastics contamination. One 2019 study found that the packets shed billions of particles while they’re steeping.
6. Wear natural fibers
The microfibers that shed from our clothing—particularly those made of polyester—are among the most pervasive microplastics in the ocean. Researchers say that laundering our duds is a primary culprit: Between 1950 and 2016, a cumulative 6.17 million tons of microfibers leaked from laundry around the globe, one 2020 paper estimates.
That’s why experts recommend natural fibers like cotton over synthetics—and paying attention to the quality of the garments you buy. Cotton will still shed fibers, but they typically don’t linger in the environment the way their plastic-based counterparts do. If you’re shopping, remember that the tighter the weave of the threads, the less they shed. Polyester fleece, for example, is one of the worst microplastic offenders on the market.
7. Add a filter to your washing machine
If we’re talking about clothes you already own, the No. 1 thing anyone can do is use a microplastics filter. These barriers, such as the LUV-R and Filtrol, typically attach to the outgoing plumbing connection and run $150–$200. One 2020 analysis found that the best performing model can nab 78% of particles, and another found a different fiber-trapper to snag 74%. For people who don’t own their washing machines, other microfiber-filtering gadgets like the Cora Ball (a pine-cone-like silicone orb you toss in the wash) and Guppyfriend (a fiber-trapping bag) can help. That same 2020 study found that the Cora Ball captured up to 31% of the microfibers in a given wash load, and the Guppyfriend snagged up to 54%.
8. Wash full, cold loads of laundry
Washing in cold water can reduce the number of microfibers a load of laundry expels. Hotter water tends to degrade certain types of plastics. The water-to-fabric ratio in a load also plays a role in the volume of particles coming off our duds: Cycles with high volumes of water, like the delicate setting, release more particles than larger loads run in normal cycles. Making sure each laundry load is full can also help cut back on friction that causes microfiber shedding, some experts say.
9. Air-dry clothes
Air drying your clothes is among the easiest planet-saving moves around. It’s massively energy-efficient, and it also reduces the amount of potentially harmful microfibers your laundry routine spews out. According to an analysis published in 2022, mechanically drying a load can emit as many, and sometimes even more, microfibers into the air than those sent down the drain during washing. One recent report indicates that drying can release more than 500,000 microfibers to the air every 15 minutes.
10. Skip detergent sheets and pods
Detergent pods and dissolvable sheets might eliminate single-use plastic jugs, but there’s a catch: They may also create microplastic waste. That’s because many of them are actually bound together with a type of plastic called PVA. (Same goes for dishwasher pods.) According to a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies published in 2021, some 75% of it (called polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA) ends up in the environment—even after wastewater treatment.
Results are mixed about whether the amount of detergent—and what kind—really matters for reducing microfibers. The best advice is to keep it simple. Read the ingredients and avoid anything with phthalates or a long list of other chemicals. This will probably mean choosing a powder that comes in a box instead of a big jug of perfumy liquid soap.
11. Vacuum, dust, and tidy up regularly
Indoor dust contains microplastics, particularly polyester fibers, and studies have indicated that people are inhaling those bits on a daily basis. By regularly vacuuming or cleaning up that dust (and also taking care not to inhale it while doing so), you could reduce the microplastic particles in your indoor spaces. An air purifier can help out, too.
12. Spend more time outside
Researchers note that some people spend upwards of 90% of their lives indoors, living in plastic-rich environments that include carpeting, paint, curtains, and other products and textiles not only made of plastic but also full of chemical additives like flame retardants.1 Studies indicate that microplastics contamination in the air is less concentrated in outdoor environments, even in urban settings.2
13. Seek out plastic-free cosmetics and cleaning products
This one’s a little harder, as some analyses have found that there are microplastics in 9 out of 10 cosmetic products. Read the labels on makeup, personal care products, and cleaning supplies if you want to avoid plastics common in those formulations and their packaging, which include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, and nylon.
Extra credit: Push for change
Support local and state-level legislation to reduce plastic use. Reach out to your elected officials to share your thoughts and concerns, and contact local environmental groups such as the Sierra Club to learn about any local initiatives. Additionally, support the modernization of the Toxic Substances Control Act to better regulate chemicals in nonfood products, something that’s been endorsed previously by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Contact your state legislators to see how you can get involved.
Engaging in activism, like getting involved in campaigns that call out or boycott companies for their contributions to plastic pollution, is another way to make an impact. National nonprofits such as Break Free From Plastic also call for corporate responsibility in campaigns aimed at curbing plastic pollution at the point of production. Beyond Plastics, based in Vermont, is another project pursuing both policy changes and grassroots advocacy to address plastics pollution that is looking for people to get involved and start local affiliates in their own neighborhoods. If writing is your thing, consider penning a letter to the editor to your local and regional newspapers.
Where do microplastics come from?
Companies around the world produce more than 400 million metric tons of plastic waste annually, all of which will break down into micro- and nanoplastic particles. These particles are smaller than 5 millimeters. Most microplastic pollution comes from the slow degradation of bigger products known as “macroplastics.” However, some microplastics actually start out that way: Small plastic beads known as “nurdles” serve as building blocks for other plastics like bottles and car parts, and microbeads are common in cosmetic and cleaning products. Microplastics can get into the environment from roadside litter, mismanaged waste and recycling, incineration of larger plastics, and industrial pollution.
Why are microplastics problematic?
While scientific research has historically focused on identifying where the problem with microplastics lies, more recent studies have started to explore more troubling questions about how microplastics pollution might be impacting human and environmental health. We don’t yet have a full picture of the microplastics problem.
One of the greatest challenges in answering such questions lies in the fact that they’re not just one thing, explains Robert C. Hale, an environmental chemist and professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Microplastics can come from nearly a dozen different types of parent plastics, and the products that they were once a part of also likely contain potentially harmful chemical additives such as flame retardants.
Environmental effects of microplastics
Microplastics are found almost everywhere on Earth, raising concerns about the potential risk they pose to the environment. Researchers like Hale note in their work that the ultimate fate of those plastics and the microparticles they break down into depends on many factors.3
First there’s the type of polymer the original plastic is made from, then there’s a variety of other factors like what kind of environmental forces, such as friction or UV rays, they’re exposed to. Degradation of plastic products can take days—as is the case of the polyurethane foam used in cushioning—or centuries—as is the case with products like disposable diapers and plastic toothbrushes. There’s also the concern about the potentially harmful chemical additives like BPA found in many plastic products.4
Plastics in the environment can also develop a biofilm, known as the “plastisphere.” That layer can include potentially harmful bacteria and other substances. Microplastics can be accidentally mistaken for food or ingested by wildlife as they filter drinking water for nutrients, as well. Some studies have shown gut-related impacts to animals due to microplastics ingestion.
Health effects of microplastics
We still need a lot more research to fully understand the human health impacts of microplastics. But for now we do know that there are concerns around how specific plastics and additives might impact our health.
When plastics break down into smaller pieces, there’s the potential to release embedded chemicals, which can include toxic flame retardants, pigments, PFAS, BPA, dioxins, and phthalates. Some of these chemicals have been labeled carcinogenic and also have possible or confirmed negative impacts on endocrine systems, thyroid function, immune systems, reproductive organs, cardiovascular health, and fetal and child development. The “plastisphere” could also pose a risk to human health because it could be capable of carrying pathogens that can cause illness and disease.One 2022 review study concluded that the ingestion of microplastics, in part through consumption of contaminated food and drinks, is one route for “major toxic effects.” These could impact digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and immunological, nervous, embryonic, and placental systems.5
- A global perspective on microplastics, JGR Oceans, Jan. 2020 ↩︎
- Airborne microplastics in indoor and outdoor environments of a developing country in South Asia, Environmental Science & Technology,, Nov. 2022 ↩︎
- A global perspective on microplastics, JGR Oceans, Jan. 2020 ↩︎
- Deep dive into plastic monomers, additives, and processing aids, Environmental Science & Technology, Jun. 2021
↩︎ - A review on microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment: Their occurrence, exposure routes, toxic studies, and potential effects on human health, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Aug. 2022 ↩︎