Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution Needs More Than Words 

The more that time passes, the more we’re learning about the far-reaching impacts of plastic in our ecosystem. Whether we’re talking about grocery bags washing into the ocean, soda can rings entangling wildlife, or microscopic plastic particles in our drinking water and food, the more we study it the more we discover its massive impacts. 

At some point, ideas need to turn into action if we’re going to start impacting our environment in positive ways. While individual actions should be taken, such as stopping the use of single-use plastics and picking up plastics on roadsides and beaches, we all need to consider investing in some more comprehensive solutions to this problem. 

Is legislation the answer?

So far, 8 states in the US have outlawed the use of single-use plastic bags. In addition, various cities and towns across the country have made the move. The idea that we are going to push every state to this point of legislation is not out of the question. What once seemed like an impossibility is now on the horizon. 

But that’s just the start. 

What needs addressed is bigger than trips to the grocery store. We need to solve the problems of litter and laundry. We need to educate people on what’s happening, what the implications are, and what our options are.

At Filtrol, we don’t believe that the sky is falling. We don’t believe that this plastic ship has sailed. Quite the contrary, actually. We are hopeful and optimistic. We see a lot of good people and good companies working hard alongside us in this fight.  We see good solutions on the horizon for solving plastic problems of all sizes. 

Plastic Pollution is Solvable

But we have to all move beyond words. We have to start implementing small changes and voting in big changes. We have to change our habits and change our manufacturing standards. We have to be take seriously the charge in front of us to protect the environment and be part of turning ideas into action. 

How Our Clothes are Getting into our Food

When someone says the word “plastic pollution,” a million different images come into our minds. 

Plastic bags floating in the ocean. Six-pack encasements wrapped around a turtle’s neck. Beaches riddled with garbage or birds’ stomachs filled with plastic straws and wrappers. Plastic water bottles filling landfills and giant garbage patches buoyant in the ocean. 

But what’s hard to picture is the microscopic particles of synthetic fibers that are washed from our laundry. They leave our homes unfiltered and flow through our water treatment processes and into our ecosystem. These microscopic pieces of plastic end up in our drinking water and food. They are found in the most remote landscapes and are even 7 miles underneath the surface of the ocean. 

So how do these plastics end up in our food? And even before that, how do plastics end up in our clothes? 

Fabrics like polyester, nylon, acrylic and polyamide are all made of synthetic (which means “chemically-based” or “man-made”) materials. Plastics are either manufactured specifically for these fabrics or are recycled and reused to manufacture them. During the wash, rinse, and spin cycles of household and industrial laundering, millions upon millions of the pieces of synthetic material are flushed out with the water, soap, and dirt. They don’t break down. They don’t biodegrade. They simply pollute every space they inhabit.

Many of the fabrics and materials manufactured of these synthetic compounds are attributed with the “fast fashion” industry, where clothing is made cheap and fast so that it can be distributed easily As our awareness of plastic pollution and its impact on our world becomes more and more at the center of our discussions, we discover new implications to things we once considered to be conveniences. 

Filtrol Provides an Answer

At Filtrol, we aren’t necessarily cutting away the plastic that’s wrapped around the turtle’s neck…though we would if we could. But what we are doing? We’re stopping the fibers that are shedding from your clothes from ever leaving your home or facility. We’re cleaning out the wastewater that’s being pumped into water treatment plants, so that billions of plastic particles don’t devastate our ecosystem. 

Getting Back to Real Water

Removing Plastic and Attacking Pollution with Filtrol

Plastic has been around for over a century. Demands for convenience and lower cost have made it an essential part of our manufacturing. It is present in just about every facet of life, from the food we eat to the cars we drive, plastic is playing a part everywhere we look. Our kids are playing with it. Our chefs are cooking with it. It’s everywhere. 

All waterways eventually make their way to our oceans. This makes the ocean the ultimate destination of every waterway around the world. From our wastewater to creeks, streams, and rivers, water flows toward the oceans. As this water flows, it picks up pollutants along the way. 

And these pollutants aren’t always visible. 

A simple Google search will reveal plastic’s presence as pollution in our environment in various forms. From large pieces of debris floating in the ocean to microscopic particles of plastic being ingested by tiny ocean life, plastic is everywhere. The actual presence of plastic in our environment have been observed since at least the late 1960’s, when a group of scientists observed microplastics in the ocean when studying plankton. And since first being discovered, many efforts have been taken to stop plastic pollution. 

The effort to stop plastic pollution from its widespread impact on our ecosystem has taken on many forms over the years. Some groups are trying to remove plastic already in our environment. Various technologies have been tested, developed, and deployed to gather up the plastics of all sizes that are polluting our land and water. Movements have been started to pick up trash and clean up our water. Some are trying to stop plastic from being produced, championing the use of biodegradable, environmentally-friendly products rather than synthetic plastics. These efforts are sometimes simple grassroots awareness campaigns that encourage consumers to support green companies. Other times, these efforts are effecting legislation, manufacturing protocols, and global platforms for discussion. Others are trying to stop plastic pollution in its tracks. New technologies and innovations are capturing plastic before it ever leaves our manufacturing facilities, our water treatment plants, and our homes.

At Filtrol, we’re stopping plastic pollution before it ever leaves your home. And we’re proud to partner with companies around the global who are part of the effort to protect our planet. 

If you haven’t installed a Filtrol at your home’s laundry tub, now is the time.

It’s a simple installation, a small investment, and a massively impacting decision.