Every time you do laundry, the fabrics shed tiny fibres into the water, contributing to the hundreds of tonnes of microfibres released into our rivers and oceans every year.
Metro Vancouver is collaborating with Ocean Wise, the University of BC, and others through the Microfibers Partnership to better understand how this type of pollution affects ecosystems and what may be done to address it.
Although wastewater treatment can capture some microfibres, everyone can do their part to reduce this pollution at the source, including washing clothes in cold water. Pilot testing has shown that washing in cold on shorter cycles reduces microfibre shedding by up to 50 per cent.
“Our Ocean Thanks You,” Metro Vancouver’s annual campaign to reduce microfibres, starts on September 12. Visit switchtocold.ca to find out more ways to reduce microfibre shedding.
