The second edition of our Plastic Free July comes with 4 new questions and answers about (micro)plastics 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.
There are seven main categories of plastic products:
1) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)
One of the most commonly used plastics. It is strong, light and transparent and used in food packaging and synthetic fabrics (polyester).
Used for: Beverage bottles, food jars, polyester clothing, rope.
2) High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Strong and resistant to moisture and chemicals, ideal for cartons, containers, pipes and other building materials.
Used for: Detergent and shampoo bottles, buckets, rigid pipes, grocery bags, toys, medical bags and tubing.
3) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl)
Hard, rigid, resistant to chemicals and weather, perfect for construction and electrical insulation and used in medicine (easy to disinfect and impermeable to germs). Very dangerous, it can leach toxins.
Used for: Plumbing pipes, credit cards, toys, rain gutters, IV fluid bags, medical tubing, oxygen masks.
4) Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Softer and clearer version of HDPE, often used as drink carton liner.
Used for: Plastic wrap, bread bags, bubble wrap, garbage and grocery bags
5) Polypropylene (PP)
Durable and heat resistant, suitable for hot food packaging and containers.
Used for: Straws, bottle caps, hot food containers, packaging tape, disposable diapers and DVD/CD boxes.
6) Polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam)
Cheap and rigid with great insulation. It can leach harmful toxins which can find their way into food.
Used for: Insulated cups, food containers, packaging, egg cartons, insulation for buildings.
7) Other
Other types of plastic and combinations of ones mentioned above. Not a uniform category by itself, you might run into a #7 recycling code so it’s good to know it exists. Usually tough but can shatter when enough pressure is applied. Mostly not recyclable.
Used for: Eyeglasses, baby bottles, sports bottles, electronic components, CDS and DVDs, clear plastic cutlery, lighting fixtures ...
That would actually be a great solution. But unfortunately, waste water treatment plants were not designed to stop microfiber pollution. Not because they wouldn't catch microfibers — it's about what happens to them afterwards.
Water from our home goes into the waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) which were developed primarily to sanitize the water and stop the spread of infectious diseases caused by the mixing of fecal water and drinking water. This process is strongly focused on the degradation of organic matter. Studies have shown that WWTPs also capture between 60 and 99% of microfibers, depending on the technology used. In the process of cleaning the water, a large quantity of sludge is recovered. It consists of organic matter but in the filtering process, the caught microfibers end up in this sludge as well.
The sludge (with microfibers) has an afterlife that is mainly kept out of sight! Statistics show that many of developed countries use sewage sludge directly in land application (a.k.a. fertilizer). So waste water treatment plants can in principle stop a very high percentage of microfibers fibers from wastewater, but the current practices of sewage sludge use are not a solution to stop microfiber pollution.
What's the point of capturing microfibers if they end up on land anyway?
This is a tough one, as it comes down to leaving as little impact on the environment vs. the economic factor.
If you want to be sure that you’re leaving an almost-zero microplastic footprint with your laundry, we would of course recommend filtering all the time. But on the other hand, cotton fibers can fill up the filter cartridge even quicker that synthetic fibers. In the end that means replacing the filter cartridges more often
The best way is to wash your synthetic clothes separately (with filtering enabled) from clothes made from natural materials (using the bypass function).
Well, it would make sense for microfiber filters to become mandatory by law. However, the road to passing new legislation is long and winding and, in the end, every little thing helps. But it is possible! It were actually PlanetCare users that already fuelled the change in France, where washing machine filters will be mandatory from 2025.
So here’s how it happened ...
The fact is that our laundry pollutes. When we wash our synthetic clothes, they release plastic microfibers. To be exact, every week an average household dumps about one plastic bag worth of microfibers into waste water. With a PlanetCare washing machine filter anyone can capture 98% of these microfibers before they're washed down the drain.
But why should this have to be solved by individuals?
The reason is very simple. Before policymakers can recommend new rules, they need to find solutions that work in real-life. And to convince them to make microfiber filters mandatory, we need as many people as possible providing the proof that this can be done.
We did it in France!
When France was passing their groundbreaking anti-waste law, we were able to provide the proof that PlanetCare is an efficient solution that has already been adopted by thousands of users across the globe. The result: all new washing machines in France should be equipped with a microfiber filter from 2025. We're actively involved in conversations with other governments too and with your help we're making the change happen!
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