Hey team, and welcome back to one5c! Plastic, plastic everywhere, probably even in this drink. This is an actual thought I had cracking the seal on a bottle of Diet Coke that came with a recent takeout order. (I accept your judgment on all counts.) This particular beverage, the product of a misreading of a Seamless menu, is a rarity for me, but it’s also a lesson in the absolute unavoidability of plastic in our daily lives. Zoom in further, to the tiny micro- and nanoplastics that shed from our polyester gym clothes and clamshell doggie bag containers, and ridding ourselves of these petroleum-derived particles seems like a lost cause.
A lack of perfection, though, is a pretty crappy reason to give up. There’s plenty we can do every day to avoid making a bad problem worse. What follows are 10 ways you can do just that. This story is an excerpt from our complete guide to plastic pollution, which includes everything you need to know about our polymer problem, and what you can do about it. —Corinne
HOW TO AVOID MICROPLASTICS
By Maddy Lauria
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. 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 other effective tactics.
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.
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.
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.
Avoid excess packaging
Microplastics have been found in grub across the spectrum—from salt to energy drinks. You can minimize exposure by opting for glass or metal packaging and fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins whenever possible. (Skipping the produce bags can help, too.) Remember, though, this is no panacea: Contaminated soils can taint foods as well.
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.
Ditch detergent pods
The dissolvable coating on those laundry and dishwasher pods is made of plastic. 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.
Use laundry balls
If you’re not dressing entirely in natural fibers like cotton, silk, and wool, your clothes can be shedding plastic shreds—especially when you wash them. Laundry balls and bags can help capture any fibers that come off duds made from synthetic materials like polyester during the washing process and stop them from reaching local waterways. Line-drying your clothes can also minimize the excessive shedding caused by the friction and heat from the dryer.
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.
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.
Push for change
We can also all take part in cutting off fresh plastic at the source by supporting legislation aimed at reducing plastic production and use. National nonprofits such as Break Free From Plastic organize members in campaigns aimed at curbing plastic pollution at the point of production. We’re also big fans of Beyond Plastics, a Vermont-based organization that organizes campaigns and outreach to help people get organized at the local, state, and federal levels.
Maddy Lauria is a freelance environmental journalist who grew up in the Mid-Atlantic. Her work has appeared in Grist, Popular Science, and The Messenger. She also contributes to local outlets in and around Delaware, where she lives with her husband, young daughter, and far too many pets.
THE ROUNDUP
In the news this week
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called for a ban on fossil-fuel advertising in an address on Wednesday, saying allowing the marketing to continue enables planetary destruction. “I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil-fuel companies. And I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil-fuel advertising,” he said, dubbing the industry the “godfathers of climate chaos.”
On Tuesday a first-in-the-U.S. geothermal heating and cooling project came online in Framingham, Mass. The neighborhood-sized installation connects a mix of 36 residential and commercial buildings to infrastructure that taps heat from deep underground. Also this week: China plugged the world’s largest solar farm into its grid; the array will generate enough energy to power a small country.
Volvo’s upcoming EX90 EV will be the first car in the world to include a battery passport. The documentation will initially only be in the E.U. but it’s an important step toward power pack transparency. It will allow drivers to get intel on several factors, including where a battery’s components come from, its chemical composition, and also information about its health, which InsideEVs says is an important “white space” in the used EV market.
Coldplay says its two-year world tour has cut emissions by 59% compared to the band’s prior showcase. The reduction included a buffet of creative programs—including kinetic dance floors and returning and reusing concertgoers’ LED wristbands—but also a couple more-dubious ones, like planting a tree-per-ticket to offset emissions.
Methane emissions from oil and gas production fell 37% between 2015 and 2022, according to a new study of EPA data from nonprofits Ceres and the Clean Air Task Force. “That finding suggests that when energy companies want to, they can effectively reduce emissions of methane,” writes Canary Media. Methane has 82 times the heating potential of CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere.