Fleece: "the biggest environmental problem you've never heard of"

[Matt Dirksen]

So it looks like measurable quantities of fleece (microfiber plastics) are ending up in our oceans.

For those of us that depend on a city sewer system, it appears our washing machine is a big part of the problem. I.E. a city the size of Seattle, it turns out to average around 100,000 ocean bound plastic bags PER DAY.

Perhaps this issue is important for one to contemplate when choosing between fleece and something else – recycled or otherwise. Or just plan to hand wash it or limit it’s washing machine exposure.

And clearly this issue is a LOT bigger than Patagonia, and I am grateful they are willing and able to study this.

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/patagonia-admits-theres-problem-synthetic-clothes.html

Here is a direct link to the study:

http://brenmicroplastics.weebly.com/project-findings.html

[Bob K]

Or just plan to hand wash it or limit it’s washing machine exposure.

Or install the filters sold to septic tank owners to address this problem.

[Jerry Adams]

They need to design plastic so it degrades

If animals eat it, it would just be food

Or at least bacteria would eat it so it doesn’t accumulate in the environment and over years gradually become a huge problem

[Matt Dirksen]

On that note, scientists did recently discover a plastic bottle eating bacteria not long ago. I guess the microfiber plastic could be a great appetizer:

http://phys.org/news/2016-03-newly-bacteria-plastic-bottles.html

[Gunnar H]

It seems filters available today will not solve it. You can catch the microfibers with some filters but it will catch all other dirt etc as well and be unworkable. And what to do with what you collected from the filter to make sure its not reaching the environment anyway? (Read the Guardian link in the treehugger link.)

Handwash and minimize use is probably what you can do for now.

Things like the link below I don’t believe in at all, except as a way to make you feel better when you continue as before – and that has seldom been any good for the environment:

Most days you can simply go home and dry your things and then you probably don’t need fleece. Its really only when your out in wet cold conditions for days the alternatives really doesn’t work as well.

[Jerry Adams]

don’t wash your fleece?

[[ Drew ]]

“don’t wash your fleece?”

 

This is the most practicable solution.  Eventually the garment will reach a sort of stench plateau at which point maintenance drops to near zero – a veritable win for the ULBPacker and our Oceans.

[Jerry Adams]

at least other humans will leave you alone?

and bugs won’t even know you’re there?

[David Thomas]

I find I get a lot less lint in the dryer after washing in a front loader than in a top-loader.  So I suspect the gentler handling results in fewer fibers in the wastewater as well.

[ben .]

thank you for sharing this. i had no idea.

[James holden]

note also that fleece basically lasts forever (more or less)

so you can easily wear it (with a few repairs) for a decade or two daily …. rather than constantly throwing things out

unlike synth which you throw out after a few years of daily use … or those UL down jackets whoses 7-15D shells come apart few years of constant daily use …

i think everyone in a cold wet climate has decade old well worn fleeces that do the job just fine…

;)

[Author]

Posts