I was today years old when I learned that 35% of the ocean’s microplastic problem comes from washing machines. Most of the clothes we wear today have some blend of synthetic fibers that degrade ever so slightly when washed. These microscopic fibers mix in the water and get dumped down the drain, making their way into our oceans, and then into our body through seafood and even salt. Microplastics have reached parts of the body we never thought possible before, like our brain, our reproductive organs, and even fetuses through the placenta. It sounds scary (and it somewhat is), but the folks behind PLANETCARE 2.0 have a simple solution – a microfiber filter attachment for your washing machine.
Simply put, PLANETCARE 2.0 is a nifty filter that snaps to the side of your washing machine, filtering all the water the machine drains out after a cycle. Think of the PLANETCARE 2.0 as the water equivalent of you sorting your trash. You wouldn’t throw recyclables along with food waste, would you? So why would you dump microplastics out with your water?
Designed to easily attach to your washing machine in a matter of 10 minutes (you can assemble it yourself without calling a plumber), PLANETCARE 2.0 catches all the microplastics from your washing machine’s drain water, ensuring they never make it to the ocean. An estimated 700,000 tiny fibers shred from your clothes with each wash cycle. Depending on the fabrics you wear, these fibers will include natural materials like cotton, denim, wool, and silk, but also synthetic materials like nylon, polyester, and other fabric blends found in most clothes. PLANETCARE 2.0 catches up to 98% of these microfibers (both natural and synthetic), preventing them from getting carried into our waterways. The result indirectly benefits you, but directly benefits our planet, nature, and the delicate ecosystem of life on Earth. While we can’t easily remove existing microplastics in the world around us, we can easily prevent more microplastics from being added to it.
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