According to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, each time an item of clothing made from synthetic textiles is washed, it releases 700,000 microscopic fibres which make their way into the oceans. There they can be swallowed by sea life and become incorporated into the food chain, potentially ending up on our plates.
The report advocates the washing of clothes at a lower temperature, the use of mesh laundry bags to help catch the fibres, or installation of filters on washing machine waste pipes.
From an article in CIWM Journal, October 2018.
