New fabric coating could reduce microplastic pollution from washing clothes
A team of University of Toronto Engineering researchers have designed a solution to reduce the amount of microplastic fibres that are shed when clothes made of synthetic fabrics are washed. When clothes are washed in washing machines, the friction caused by cleaning cycles produces tiny tears in the fabric. These tears in turn cause microplastic fibres measuring less than 500 micrometres in length to break off and make their way down laundry drains to enter waterways. Read about the experiments on the new fabric coating that decreases friction during wash cycles to reduce microplastic pollution.
Photo by Sarah Chai