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LessWasteAn evidence-based archive of everyday plastic waste
Laundry7 min read

The microplastic shedding in your laundry

Synthetic clothing sheds plastic fibres in every wash. Two cheap interventions catch most of it before it reaches the ocean.

Stack of folded neutral linen and cotton laundry beside a mesh wash bag on a pale wooden bench.

A single 6 kg wash of synthetic fabric can release on the order of 700,000 microfibres into wastewater, and acrylic sheds several times more than polyester. Treatment plants catch most but not all of them. The rest end up in rivers, oceans, and — through the food chain — eventually back in us.

What actually works

  • A catch bag, ball or in-line filter helps: in independent testing, devices cut fibres leaving the machine by roughly a quarter (Cora Ball) up to about 87% (an in-line filter).
  • Wash full loads, cold, on short cycles. Friction and heat are what break fibres loose.
  • Air-dry where possible. Tumble drying accelerates shedding for the next several washes.
  • When buying new, choose tightly-woven natural fibres for the items washed most often.

The detergent question

Laundry sheets and powders ship without the heavy plastic jug, and a single sheet is a measured dose — no over-pouring. The chemistry is broadly equivalent to liquid for normal household soils. Heavy stains may still want a pre-treatment.

Sources

  1. Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines: Effects of fabric type and washing conditionsNapper, I. E. & Thompson, R. C. · 2016 · Marine Pollution Bulletin
  2. Microfiber Masses Recovered from Conventional Machine Washing of New or Aged GarmentsHartline, N. L. et al. · 2016 · Environmental Science & Technology
  3. Capturing microfibers — marketed technologies reduce microfiber emissions from washing machinesMcIlwraith, H. K., Lin, J., Erdle, L. M. et al. · 2019 · Marine Pollution Bulletin
  4. The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollutionDe Falco, F. et al. · 2019 · Scientific Reports
  5. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Multiple Liquid Laundry Detergent Packaging FormatsKim, S. & Park, J. · 2020 · Sustainability
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