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Meet Amy and Ella, two sisters who have put their passion to protect the planet into practice, with their very own environmental charity Kids Against Plastic. The charity was set up six years ago when they were just 12 and 10 years old, with the goal to raise awareness of the harmful impacts caused by plastic pollution, in the hope others will break their plastic habits and empower others to join them.

A scientific study led by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre in 2020, found that in the upper waters of the Atlantic Ocean, there is thought to be between 12 to 21 million tonnes of plastic. That’s the equivalent of 1,000 container ships loaded full with plastic!

Unfortunately, this plastic littering our oceans has shown to be endangering marine life across the world. As well as bigger pieces of plastic such as nets and plastic bags, which animals can become entangled in, there are also very small pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, which are being ingested by sea creatures because they’re too small to be seen or are even mistaken as food.

These hidden plastics, less than 5mm in length to be exact, are in fact in a lot of items we have lying around our homes and can contribute to the damaging levels of plastic that scientists have detected in our waterways, including streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.

So what household items contain microplastics and how can you help to stop them from entering the environment?

Take a look at this film with Ella and Amy to find out…

Laundry

When we put our clothes in the wash, certain materials such as polyester and nylon can release synthetic fabrics, which is a type of microfibre that is too small to be filtered out at wastewater treatment facilities and can end up in our streams, rivers and oceans.

However, the good news is that there are things we can do to reduce or even stop this altogether!

Here are some suggestions…

• Get a washing machine filter, which helps to stop microplastics going into the waste water system.
• Buy clothes out of alternative eco-friendly materials, such as organic cotton or recycled fabrics.
• Wash your clothes at a low speed and temperature for a shorter time. Fast speeds, higher temperatures and longer washes can result in more fibres being released, as there is more friction between the clothes.
• Fill up your washing machine so that it’s full. This means fewer fibres will be released, as there is less friction.
• And of course, there is the option of washing your clothes less frequently too!

Tea bags

You might not know that the tea bags in your cupboard at home may well contain microplastics too. Some tea bag makers use a heat-resistant plastic fibre called polypropylene, which is used to keep them sealed. This plastic mesh is neither biodegradable or compostable and so can end up contaminating our waterways, which in turn, can be harmful to living organisms whose survival depends on that water source.

But luckily there are alternatives we can all use to stop this from happening. Why not try loose leaf tea for example, which avoids plastic altogether, assuming the packaging is sustainable too of course. Or you can also buy more environmentally friendly plant-based teabags, which can be fully biodegradable.

Cleaning sponges

The sponges or scouring pads you or your parents may use to clean the dishes can actually release microplastics down the drain, in the form of microfibres. Just like the microfibres from our clothes, they’re too small to be extracted at wastewater treatment facilities and so can end up littering our streams, rivers and oceans.

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this, as some manufacturers have created fully compostable and biodegradable cleaning pads. Instead of plastic, they are made from materials such as cellulose (which is the main substance in the walls of plant cells) and even coconut fibre!

Of course, these are just 3 actions we can all take to make a difference but there are many more things you can do to reduce your microplastic output.

Perhaps you could brainstorm ideas with your family and friends on what alternative household items you could use that don’t contain plastic or what items you could re-use around your house. It can be as simple as getting a bamboo toothbrush, refilling your washing machine cleaner at a zero waste shop or where possible, buying food that isn’t wrapped in plastic packaging.

In the same way Amy and Ella have inspired others to make greener choices to their everyday lives, your responsible behaviour can empower others to follow suit too. Just remember, making lots of small changes to living sustainably can go a long way!