Hey team, and welcome back to one5c! After last week’s dive into making our laundry routines more energy efficient (that is, cheaper and less likely to contribute to planet-warming emissions), a couple of you asked if we had any advice for de-plastic-ing our clothes-washing ways. As it happens, we know a thing or a thousand about plastic pollution—in fact, we wrote an entire guide on the topic. Laundry, in fact, is a rather potent piece of the problem, especially when it comes to microplastics, the tiny particles that environmental scientists have found just about anywhere they’ve thought to look.
one5c contributor Maddy Lauria has got the goss on how we can help clean things up. And remember, if you’ve got a question, don’t hesitate to give us a holler. This inbox (one5c@one5c.com) is always open. —Corinne
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HOW TO CUT MICROPLASTICS FROM YOUR LAUNDRY ROUTINE
By Maddy Lauria
Unless you’ve embraced a life of nudity, you’ve got loads of dirty laundry to deal with. But spin-cycling and tumble-drying our clothes sheds more than ketchup stains, perfumed lotions, and sock sweat. One load of laundry can emit hundreds of thousands—by some estimates even up to 10 million—teeny, tiny microfibers. The more poorly made, plastic-based textiles we throw into the mix, the worse this specific microplastics problem becomes.
The consequences are particularly bad in the world’s oceans, where wildlife mistake the particles for food, which can cause a host of problems including damage to digestive and reproductive systems, gills, and immune responses. Those toxic effects are also related to the more than 16,000 potentially hazardous chemical additives in plastic products, including those used to dye clothing or make it stain-resistant or wrinkle-free.
Putting aside issues inherent to the clothing industry itself, experts we talked to say a key to stopping the flow of pollution is to trap the microfibers before they even reach wastewater treatment plants. Unfortunately, the average American washing machine doesn’t snag these small bits by default. Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley has introduced a federal bill to require the addition of filters on washers. Similar legislation was proposed, but failed, in California, though France and Australia have put such measures in place.
Since it takes years or longer for regulations or international efforts like a treaty to address the plastics problem to solidify, this is one environmental exigency where individual actions may currently be the best answer: Here are five ways to minimize the amount of microplastics that escape during your clothes-washing routine.
Opt for 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, says Judith Weis, a marine biology professor at Rutgers University who also studies environmental impacts of microplastic pollution, but they typically don’t linger in the environment the way their plastic-based counterparts do. If you’re shopping—either secondhand or regular retail—also remember that the tighter the weave of the threads in a garment, the less they shed. Polyester fleece, a very loosely woven material, for example, is one of the worst microplastic offenders on the market.
Add a filter
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. “It’s probably the easiest thing to do to make a big difference,” says Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist and Oregon State University associate professor. The filters vary in terms of effectiveness, but one 2020 analysis found that the best performing model can nab 78% of particles, and another found a different fiber-trapper to snag 74%. (It’s important to note that there’s no standard for measurement here, which is why there tends to be variability between company claims and results.)
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. At $30–$40, they’re more affordable than in-line filters, but they’re not quite as effective. 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%.
Wash full, cold loads
Washing in cold water can also reduce the number of microfibers a load of laundry expels. Hot water can encourage shedding, Brander says, since higher temperatures tend to degrade certain types of plastics. This small shift in laundry habits can also cut down on your electricity usage (and therefore potential for planet-warming emissions), since around 90% of the power a washer gobbles up goes toward heating the water.
The water-to-fabric ratio in a load also plays a role in the volume of microfibers washing off our duds. Cycles with high volumes of water, like the delicate setting, release more particles than larger loads run in normal cycles. One 2019 study found that delicate wash cycles emitted 800,000 more microfibers per wash. Reducing the water-to-fabric ratio by making sure each laundry load is full can also help cut back on friction that causes microfiber shedding, some experts say.
Air-dry
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: 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.
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, by the by.) “What I’d recommend is to use something that’s not further contributing to the problems with plastics and chemicals,” Brander says.
Results are mixed about whether the amount of detergent—and what kind—really matters for reducing microfibers, in part because there’s a lack of scientific standards researchers can use to compare studies. Brander says 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.
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
Our favorite animal-free milk is now available at Target stores nationwide. Bored Cow milks—which now include a limited-run pumpkin-spice flavor—taste and act like dairy milk because they’re based around the same whey protein found in cow’s milk, but this one’s made through a beerlike brewing process called precision fermentation. Check out our full taste test on Cool Beans.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’ VP pick for this year’s Democratic presidential ticket. Climate groups are stoked on the choice, given Walz’s track record of passing progressive environmental policies in a fairly conservative state. We’ll take a deeper look at his planetary bona fides soon, and you can brush up on Harris’ here.
United Airlines announced the purchase of up to 1 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel, which the airline says it will use on routes from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport through the end of the year, making it the first to tap the new fuel outside California. Jet fuel accounts for 2% of energy-related emissions worldwide, and aviation experts point to more sustainable options as a means to curb those planet-heating impacts.
More than 3.4 million American households racked up $8 billion in tax credits for home-efficiency upgrades in the 2023 tax year, according to data released by the Treasury Department. The incentives, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, include breaks on updates like heat pumps and battery storage. Solar panels were the most popular place people cashed in: More than 750,000 households used the credit on new arrays.
Walmart and Reynolds Consumer Products—makers of the ubiquitous Hefty brand trash bags—won’t sell their bags in Minnesota for two and a half years, reports Inside Climate News. The moratorium is the result of a false advertising suit, in which the state attorney general alleged copy on the packaging was intended to mislead customers into thinking the thin-film bags were recyclable. Spoiler: They’re not.