WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS?

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic particles that are < 5 mm in size. Some microplastics are manufactured for specific human use, while other microplastics are formed from the degradation of larger plastics.

WHY ARE MICROPLASTICS IMPORTANT?

Roughly, 10,000 tonnes of plastic debris enter the great lakes each year. This occurs not only through waterways and shorelines from litter of degradation plastics, but also from microplastics found in hygiene products and clothing. This increase in plastic pollution has caused an increase in biodiversity loss in Lake Ontario. This plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems affects the physiology of aquatic species. Many fish and bird species mistake plastics as food and consume microplastics which are found in sand. Microplastics are toxic to fish and bird species because plastic absorbs toxins from other plastics, like a sponge, killing many of them. We consume these fish species alongside this plastic when they end up on our dinner plates. Therefore, decreasing your fish consumption is essential to our health and our environment.

WHAT CONTAINS MICROPLASTICS?

Microplastics are part of our daily lives in many ways. For example, different cosmetics and hygiene products that contain microplastics are: toothpaste, body cleansers, and facial washes. Furthermore, microplastics end up in our food, drinking water and even in the air. A study by Kieran D. Cox and colleagues from the University of Victoria in British Columbia found that we consume between 39,000 to 52,000 particles of microplastics a year. However, this estimate increases to 74,000 to 121,000 particles when we take inhalation into consideration. Furthermore, one consumes 90,000 particles of microplastics by meeting your daily water intake through plastic water bottles, where 4,000 particles of microplastics are consumed through tap water alone.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR MICROPLASTIC WASTE

How do we stop these plastics from entering our bodies and the bodies of other species? There are a few ways in which we can reduce the amount of plastic entering Lake Ontario and therefore reduce the amount of plastic in our own bodies and those of other species. One way that we can reduce plastics and microplastics is by purchasing non-synthetic clothing. When washing synthetic clothing, small synthetic fibers/microplastics are drained into wastewater systems. These plastics are so small that they are very hard to filter out before they reach Lake Ontario. Another way is by using a laundry ball (i.e. a Cora Ball) that catches microfibers shedding off your clothes in the washing machine. This is a great way to help reduce the amount of microplastics you produce within your loads of laundry. Reducing your amount of bottled water consumption and switching to tap water can reduce the amount of microplastics that you consume annually which are then flushed out of your body and into the sewage system. Reducing your intake of plastic consumption in your daily routine can make a huge impact on the amount of plastic found in Lake Ontario. If you are willing to make this change in your life, we will hopefully see restoration in many of our depleting fish and waterbird species within Lake Ontario.

If you would like to make a difference, visit http://chng.it/hDntRKmS or visit us on Facebook at “Plastic Free Movement”.