Microplastics wreak chaos on the environment. They take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down, affect the health of soil fauna and pollute waterways. There are an estimated 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics in the world’s upper oceans, many of which will be consumed by marine life. Scientists have discovered microplastics in 114 aquatic species alone, more than half of which are popular dining options (bon appétit).  

Facts like these leave many people wondering what they can do to help the microplastics problem. It’s not easy to totally eradicate them from your life, but you can dramatically reduce the amount you let into waterways just by washing your clothes differently. Did you know each time you put a load of your synthetic clothing (fabrics like nylon, polyester and lycra) into the wash you’re releasing millions of microplastics into the wastewater system? While it’s alarming, it’s also led to one of the biggest innovations in this area: Guppyfriend. 

Guppyfriend is a mesh laundry bag that goes into your washing machine and captures shedding fibres as clothes are tossed and spun, preventing them from entering waterways. It’s the first device designed and marketed specifically to prevent microfibre pollution. While catching plastic fibres with a plastic bag might sound ironic, the Guppyfriend is actually made of monofilaments, which consist of only one endless thread that is more like a stable stick in its structure than many loose threads. This helps it capture 99 per cent of fibres.   

Guppyfriend is a great solution for pollution caused by clothing but there are other ways you can keep microplastics out of your home (and waterways) too.