For this Plastic Free July, we're empowering with knowledge. We'll be publishing 20 answers to questions about (micro)plastic that were sent to us by our community via social media and email.
Until 10th July we have been asking our community to send us questions about microplastics and plastic in general. And until end of July we will publish answers to 20 of the most interesting questions to raise awareness about plastic pollution, educate on ways to fight it and even provide some insight into how plastic transformed the world as we know it, covering the good and the bad aspects of plastic.
So here we go, Plastic Free July Q&A starts now!
Dryer lint can be composted. But (yes, there is always a but) dryer lint is only compostable if all of the material you are drying is made of 100% natural fibers (cotton, wool and similar). But the fact is that most clothing today contains synthetic fibers. And these are NOT compostable.
We surely hope that your composting program does take that into account, as compost with synthetic materials in it contributes to worldwide microplastic pollution. We are seeing a similar issue with waste water treatment plants that filter microplastics. Yes, they can do a good job at it, but in the end, these filtered microplastics end up in the sludge (the side product of these facilities) that is eventually used as fertilizer. So they’re filtering microplastics from waste water, only to dump it back into nature.
offers a 3-Star verification for business operations alongside open-source resources, step-by-step auditing and consultation support, and buying deals with vetted vendors to help businesses eliminate single-use plastics and operate sustainably. Blue also offers Product and Packaging seals that verify Consumer Packaged Goods for meeting Blue’s plastic-free criteria. The two synergistic offerings work together to empower businesses to achieve measurable impact that protects our blue planet.
A garbage patch is a large area of human-produced debris usually trapped by a circulating ocean current called a gyre. The biggest (and most known) is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But the fact is that every ocean has at least one garbage patch. There are also smaller patches in coastal ecosystems where rivers meet the sea or where tidal flows trap plastic.
There are initiatives for cleaning up these patches, but cleaning up marine debris is not as easy as it sounds. While we imagine these garbage patches of clusters of big chunks of plastic and plastic bottles, the fact is that most of these areas look more like a plastic soup of sea water and small bits of plastic, even microplastic. Ant to make things even worse, scientist assume that appr. 70% of the debris sing to the ocean floor. So simply scooping up this “soup” with nets would also catch marine life. And even if we could design nets that could only catch garbage, the size of the oceans makes this job extremely time consuming.
The US National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program has estimated that it would take 67 ships one year to clean up less than one percent of (just) the North Pacific Ocean.
But nevertheless there are efforts being made, like the one from The Ocean Cleanup (Ocean Cleanup team, we used your photo, hope this is OK) who have, since the project started in 2012, harvested over 400 tons of debris from the oceans, constantly evolving the harvest technology to minimize impact on marine life.
So what can be done immediately about it? Scientists and explorers agree that an immediate way of making this a lesser problem is limiting our use of disposable plastics and increasing the use of biodegradable resources. And that is something we can all do immediately!
Recycled plastic goes through a multi-step process to be transformed into new products. Here’s an overview of what happens to plastic once it’s recycled:
1. Collection: Plastic waste is collected from homes, businesses, and recycling centers and sent to Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) or Plastic Recovery Facilities (PRF).
2. Sorting: At these facilities, plastics are sorted into different categories based on their properties, such as type, color, and cleanliness.
3. Washing: The sorted plastics are then washed to remove impurities, such as food residue or adhesives.
4. Shredding: After washing, the plastics are shredded into smaller pieces, which makes it easier to process and remold them into new products.
5. Identification and Separation: The shredded pieces are further separated, often using specialized equipment, to ensure that only the same types of plastics are together.
6. Compounding: Finally, the separated plastics are melted and extruded into pellets or fibers, which can then be used to manufacture new plastic products.
The recycled plastic can be used to create a wide range of items, including clothing, furniture, construction materials, packaging, and even new plastic bottles. The goal of recycling is to reduce the need for new plastic production, conserve resources, and minimize environmental impact. By turning old plastic items into new ones, we can help close the loop in the plastic lifecycle.
But there is an inconvenient truth to plastic recycling: only 9% of plastic waste generated globally is recycled (some sources even say this number is as low as 5%).
It’s actually both. Plastic ends up in the ocean both through deliberate dumping and accidental means. Here's a breakdown of how plastic pollution occurs:
Littering: A significant portion of ocean plastic comes from littering. People may discard plastic items like food wrappers, bags, and bottles improperly, and these items can be carried into waterways and eventually reach the ocean.
Industrial Processes: Some plastics and microplastics enter the ocean as a result of improper manufacturing processes. For example, small plastic pellets used to make larger items can spill and wash into the ocean.
Fishing Industry: About 20% of the ocean's plastic pollution comes from marine sources such as fishing nets, lines, ropes, and abandoned vessels.
Land Runoff: Most of the plastic in our oceans comes from land-based sources, transported from land to the sea via rivers or coastlines.
Improper Waste Management: Plastic rubbish can be blown off landfill sites or out of rubbish bins, enter drains and rivers, and make its way to the ocean.
Laundry: While it may not be visible to the eye, 35% of microplastics in the oceans actually come from laundry. Over 60% of clothes are now synthetic and when we wash them, they shed tiny synthetic fibers that are flushed into our waterways. Filtering microfibers prevents this pollution, but sadly, apart from France who are making filtering mandatory from 2025, no regulation is yet in place that would make this mandatory.
While some of these pathways are accidental, others are the result of negligence or the absence of adequate waste management systems. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that plastic is a durable material that can persist in the environment for hundreds of years, breaking down into microplastics rather than fully degrading. Addressing this issue requires a combination of better waste management, education on proper disposal, and a reduction in the use of single-use plastics.
English 
German