Plastic Pollution and the Call to Clean Up Our World

Across the country and world are organizations, non-profits, businesses, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and individuals working tirelessly to stop plastic pollution. While the problem is growing out of control, people are taking a variety of approaches to solving it. Some have adjusted manufacturing practices to reduce plastics in our ecosystem. Some are focused on eliminated synthetic fibers from clothing and others are focused on recycling the synthetics so that plastics at least aren’t entirely invasive and useless after a single use.

Legislation like what is seen here has moved toward national movements to outlaw single-use plastic bags. Clothing companies have gone completely plastic-free. Others have simply tried to make the best of the massive microscopic problem by reducing the use of plastics and making use of the plastics that already exist. Consider Ralph Lauren, for instance, who has started to make clothing made entirely out of plastic bottles.

Some have created solutions to capture microplastics. Since most of the plastics are in the form of microfibers (less than 5 mm in length), they are mostly invisible to the human eye. They are microscopic, and yet just as permanently affixed on our planet as the grocery bag you see blowing down the road or stuck in a sewer drain. Microscopic particles of plastic are found in the most remote parts of earth, even those seemingly untouched by humankind. Filters like Filtrol and tools like the Cora Ball are designed to stop the microplastics from ever leaving a home. 

Not everything about our past can be undone. The countless tons of plastic that have been released into our ecosystem aren’t going away. The concept of a solution to this may seem like an impossible uphill climb or even an altogether useless battle. Our work in addressing plastic pollution won’t undo all the damage that’s been done to wildlife, to the food chain, our drinking water, and even our dinner plates.

But solving the problem of plastic pollution is ultimately about changing our future.

Human innovation will continue to address the plastic that’s already been spewed onto our planet. Some solutions will be more effective than others, and time will tell how effective they are.

The great thing about Filtrol and the work we’re doing is that even our competitors are our friends. We’re all working toward the same goal: to take care of our planet, to do our best to clean up past mistakes, and to work hard to not repeat those mistakes. We’re protecting our planet, preserving its natural resources, and keeping plastic out of our waterways, our wildlife, our food, and our drinking water.