Microplastics - what's the problem and how to take action

Article and photo by Annabel Daldry

‘There is no such thing as ‘away’ – when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere’ - Annie Leonard (Greenpeace)

Microplastics

We can’t deny that plastics have, in many ways, improved the lives of humankind. They’re so embedded in our modern lifestyles, it’s very hard to contemplate their negative consequences. The global players in plastic production have never put the planet’s health above profits. You and I are not to blame – it’s the system. If we do think about it, like Janus, we have one face looking to the past, and one to the future.

My photo shows small pieces of plastic litter that will eventually weather down to microplastics in the soil. Agricultural practices, like the use of polymer coated slow-release fertilizers, also put plastics in the soil – and so into the food chain, and our bodies. We can breathe in microplastics as well as ingest them, as they are becoming more prevalent in the atmosphere from a myriad of sources.

There is positive action we can all take to help the earth and our health:

• Use our consumer power to reject single-use plastic options

• Buy natural whenever possible: think wool, cotton, linen, hemp, glass

• Look for preloved clothing made from natural materials

• Try not to buy synthetic clothing and ‘fast’ fashion – when washed they put microplastics into our water systems – the tiny fibres don’t magically disappear. They end up being ingested by aquatic wildlife

• Microwaving food in plastic containers is not a good idea. Microplastics go into the food during the heating process. Use glass containers instead

• If you’re a reader there are many books available to help us have more eco-friendly homes and lives, and to reduce the pollution burden on planet Earth.