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Microplastics are a good reason to make sure your plastic makes it to a landfill instead of the ocean more than a reason to give up plastic entirely. Of course

Microplastics are a good reason to make sure your plastic makes it to a landfill instead of the ocean more than a reason to give up plastic entirely. Of course, not every country has government provided waste disposal so to the extent that our rich world preferences get foisted onto developing countries by default I guess that is a valid reason to want to reduce plastic use. But on the third hand locking up hydrocarbons in plastics while we're dealing with global warming seems like a positive good.

cronix 5y ago
From what I understand, most microplastics in the environment are from washing clothing made of synthetic fibers[1] instead of natural products like cotton. It's rare to find something made from 100% cotton - it's usually a blend of mostly synthetic and sometimes natural fibers. Every time you wash them millions of microfiber plastics are released into the sewer system and there is no filter system capable of removing them so they end up permanently in the water cycle. They even end up in rain and snowfall[2], and have been found in organs of the human body[3] and of course wildlife. > Microplastic pollution caused by washing processes of synthetic textiles has recently been assessed as the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans. [1]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43023-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43023-x [2]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-found-in-arctic-snow https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/micro... [3]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/17/microplastic-particles-discovered-in-human-organs https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/17/micropla...
- conceptme 5y ago
  It is not so rare to find 100% cotton clothing, most websites have an option to filter on the fabric. In physical stores this becomes harder though.
- brandmeyer 5y ago
  Rephrased for impact: The dominant source of microplastics is lint. Fuzzy blanket (synthetic)? Microplastics. Cozy sweater (synthetic or blend, but lets face it: usually synthetic)? Microplastics. Microfiber towel? Microplastics. Plastic straws, bags, and packaging? Landfill.
JulianMorrison 5y ago
Also landfill becomes like a nuclear waste site, a burden on the future. You can't let it puncture, or be dug up (by humans or animals), or landslip, or flood. You have to cosset the damn thing in perpetuity, or until someone invents plastic-eating fungi (which dump it into the carbon cycle instead).
- simondotau 5y ago
  Eventually, once technology has sufficiently advanced, some people are going to make a lot of money mining landfill for raw materials.
- exporectomy 5y ago
  If we just abandon all landfills for 1000 years with no maintenance, how much of that plastic do you estimate will end up released into the sea during that time? Will it be enough to cause a bigger ecological problem than what's already happened with plastic in the sea today? Importantly, where did you get your data from? It can't be just your imagination because that's only a tool to reinforce what you already believe.
  - beerandt 5y ago
    Modern US landfills are lined and capped water tight, and have been for decades. Permitting is a thoroughly reviewed process, by dozens of federal, state, and local government offices, and hundreds of officials and engineers. Monitoring wells ensure compliance. Even if it's microplastic in that landfill water, it's not getting to the ocean. Worst case is it's captured with the decomposing gases and condensate, and reprocessed at a refinery or incinerated. The plastic is much better deposited in US landfills than shipped overseas, where it may be directly spilled into the ocean, or dumped into open fields for the poor to manually sift for the most valuable material, and then there's no telling where the rest of it will end up once it rains. Plus landfill plastic is sequestered carbon. Even places that certify plastic recycling into a new end user product are often making worthless items that are given away so that they can claim zero waste. The material ends up as construction fill for hydraulic detention infrastructure, playground surfaces and sports fields, or even those "green" children's toys. Or cheap fleeces. Lots and lots of cheap fleeces, blankets, and snuggies. The exact places we don't want that plastic to end up.

cronix 5y ago

From what I understand, most microplastics in the environment are from washing clothing made of synthetic fibers[1] instead of natural products like cotton. It's rare to find something made from 100% cotton - it's usually a blend of mostly synthetic and sometimes natural fibers. Every time you wash them millions of microfiber plastics are released into the sewer system and there is no filter system capable of removing them so they end up permanently in the water cycle. They even end up in rain and snowfall[2], and have been found in organs of the human body[3] and of course wildlife. > Microplastic pollution caused by washing processes of synthetic textiles has recently been assessed as the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans. [1]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43023-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43023-x [2]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-found-in-arctic-snow https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/micro... [3]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/17/microplastic-particles-discovered-in-human-organs https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/17/micropla...

conceptme 5y ago
It is not so rare to find 100% cotton clothing, most websites have an option to filter on the fabric. In physical stores this becomes harder though.
brandmeyer 5y ago
Rephrased for impact: The dominant source of microplastics is lint. Fuzzy blanket (synthetic)? Microplastics. Cozy sweater (synthetic or blend, but lets face it: usually synthetic)? Microplastics. Microfiber towel? Microplastics. Plastic straws, bags, and packaging? Landfill.

JulianMorrison 5y ago

Also landfill becomes like a nuclear waste site, a burden on the future. You can't let it puncture, or be dug up (by humans or animals), or landslip, or flood. You have to cosset the damn thing in perpetuity, or until someone invents plastic-eating fungi (which dump it into the carbon cycle instead).

simondotau 5y ago
Eventually, once technology has sufficiently advanced, some people are going to make a lot of money mining landfill for raw materials.
exporectomy 5y ago
If we just abandon all landfills for 1000 years with no maintenance, how much of that plastic do you estimate will end up released into the sea during that time? Will it be enough to cause a bigger ecological problem than what's already happened with plastic in the sea today? Importantly, where did you get your data from? It can't be just your imagination because that's only a tool to reinforce what you already believe.
- beerandt 5y ago
  Modern US landfills are lined and capped water tight, and have been for decades. Permitting is a thoroughly reviewed process, by dozens of federal, state, and local government offices, and hundreds of officials and engineers. Monitoring wells ensure compliance. Even if it's microplastic in that landfill water, it's not getting to the ocean. Worst case is it's captured with the decomposing gases and condensate, and reprocessed at a refinery or incinerated. The plastic is much better deposited in US landfills than shipped overseas, where it may be directly spilled into the ocean, or dumped into open fields for the poor to manually sift for the most valuable material, and then there's no telling where the rest of it will end up once it rains. Plus landfill plastic is sequestered carbon. Even places that certify plastic recycling into a new end user product are often making worthless items that are given away so that they can claim zero waste. The material ends up as construction fill for hydraulic detention infrastructure, playground surfaces and sports fields, or even those "green" children's toys. Or cheap fleeces. Lots and lots of cheap fleeces, blankets, and snuggies. The exact places we don't want that plastic to end up.