Your Clothes Are Polluting the Ocean and Here’s What You Can Do About It

Most people don’t realize it, but a big part of the plastic Pollution crisis is hanging right in their closet. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, acrylic, and nylon are everywhere in modern clothing, and they’re quietly shedding plastic microfibers every time you wear or wash them. A single load of laundry can release millions of these microscopic fibers into the water system—and many of them are too small for wastewater treatment plants to filter out. These plastics travel through rivers to the ocean, where they’re eaten by marine life and eventually make their way back up the food chain to humans.

According to Associated Press journalist Jennifer McDermott, even natural fabrics aren’t entirely safe, as they can still shed harmful fibers or leach chemicals. Polyester, the most used textile on the planet, plays a particularly major role in microfiber Pollution.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take. Environmental advocates like Rachael Z. Miller from the Rozalia Project recommend washing clothes less often, using cold water, and skipping the dryer to reduce friction and fiber shedding. Miller even developed the Cora Ball, a laundry device that catches microfibers before they escape. Washing synthetic clothes in special fiber-catching bags also helps.

Brands like Patagonia are also stepping up, redesigning fabrics and pushing for prewashing at factories to reduce initial shedding. While legislation has lagged in the U.S., countries like France are pushing ahead with mandatory microfiber filters on new washing machines.

Every time we do laundry, we’re either contributing to the problem or choosing to be part of the solution. Choose to care.

If you care about animals, the ocean, or the future of our planet, start small: wash your clothes less, wash them better, and Support brands that take responsibility. Together, our choices can clean up the mess—one load of laundry at a time.

Video Source: Kathryn Kellogg/Youtube

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Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Stand against fast fashion Pollution by supporting circular brands like Tiny Rescue, which create cause-based collections using recycled, zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade, ensuring it never ends up in a landfill.
• Shop Sustainably for Your Home: Visit SustaiNOBLE.org, an eco-friendly and ethically sourced home decor store that will empower your home with luxurious fair-trade, and sustainable products made by global artisans. 
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• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!