A new study has revealed that almost 13,000 tonnes of microfibres, equivalent to two rubbish trucks every day, are being released into European marine environments every year – but this could be reduced by as much as 30% if we made a small change to our laundry habits. Researchers from Northumbria University worked in partnership with Procter & Gamble, makers of Ariel, Tide, Downy and Lenor on the first major forensic study into the environmental impact of microfibres from real soiled household laundry.
Their forensic analysis revealed an average of 114 mg of microfibres were released per kilogram of fabric in each wash load during a standard washing cycle. Given that a 2013 AISE report suggested 35.6 billion wash loads are completed in 23 European countries each year, the researchers suggest a massive 12,709 tonnes of microfibres are being released from washing machines into rivers, the sea and the ocean each year in Europe alone. This is the equivalent of two rubbish trucks worth of waste ending up in marine environments each day.
However, the researchers achieved a 30% reduction in the amount of microfibres released when they performed a 30-minute 15˚C wash cycle, in comparison to a standard 85-minute 40˚C cycle, based on typical domestic laundering. If households changed to cooler, faster washes, they would potentially save 3,813 tonnes of microfibres being released into marine ecosystems in Europe. The researchers found even more significant differences when they compared different microfibre release from different types of North American washing machines.
Source: Water Active
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