Institute for Environmental Solutions

Laundry is one of the largest contributors of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Clothing, bedding, and other fabrics shed microplastics in fiber form when in the wash. Additionally, nearly all detergent pods are wrapped in a petroleum-based plastic film, known as PVAs. While this lining dissolves in water, it is not filtered out at wastewater treatment facilities. Since these plastic particles are not removed in the treatment process, they persist in our waterways and soil, causing harm to our ecosystem and local wildlife. Below are a few tips to reduce microplastic pollution when doing your laundry:

● Use eco-friendly detergent tablets. Blueland makes tablets that come in compostable packaging and don’t contain PVAs.
● Wash clothes in cold water. Cold water reduces the amount of microfibers that are shed from clothing. It also reduces energy use!
● Install a filter in your washing machine that collects microplastic particles. There are also more affordable products such as wash bags that are designed to capture microplastics.
● Replace single-use dryer sheets with wool dryer balls. Dryer balls are reusable and don’t contain harmful chemicals or microplastics.

Summer is here which means it's time to bring out the sunscreen! Unfortunately, many traditional sunscreens contain oxybenzone, a harmful chemical that can be dangerous to humans and the environment. This chemical can increase the rate of bleaching of coral reefs which makes coral more vulnerable to disease. Coral reefs are important for supporting biodiversity, livelihoods (e.g. fisherman), and economies that heavily rely on tourism. Oxybenzone can cause hormone disruption and birth defects in humans. It can also react with chlorine in pools to form chloroform, a compound that is more toxic than oxybenzone by itself.

Luckily, there are ways you can reduce your exposure to oxybenzone. Purchasing alternative products such as mineral sunscreens that contain non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide work just as well and do not harm our oceans. Try and look for MADE SAFE certified sunscreens next time you are shopping! Do not be fooled by “reef safe” labels as the product may still contain ingredients harmful to coral reefs due to a lack of regulation.