Did you know that a single load of laundry can release up to 18 million microfibers? Our clothing is largely plastic-based, and when we wash it, pieces shed into our washing machines as microfibers. Then, these tiny but dangerous pieces of plastic end up in our ocean, open land, farm fields, rivers and beyond.
In the last 10 years alone, nearly 3 million metric tons of synthetic fibers were released from clothes washing. That’s equivalent to more than 14 billion T-shirts entering the environment.
The good news is there are easy and economical ways to help curb this crisis at the source, like adding microfiber filters, similar to those in dryers, to all new washing machines. Take action with Ocean Conservancy and call on your state lawmakers to address microfiber pollution now.