If in doubt catch it in a pillow case.

[David]

Probably on topic because this is about do it yourself filtering of micro plastics.

From a Grauniad article, it appears that new washing machines are to be fitted with filters to catch most micro plastic particles before they enter the waste water system, thus keeping them away from the oceans.

Sounds good.

However they (whoever "they" is) do not yet know what infrastructure will be required to collect and process these recovered micro plastics. If they are just dumped in the general waste they will go to landfill and from there, almost certainly, into the water table. So this would just be a short delaying action and not a cure. If not, this would require a whole new recycling infrastructure to collect and process the residue.

Which brings me to the pillow case. Apparently the current advice is that if you don't have a filter (see above) you should wash clothes containing synthetics in a pillow case.

(1) I assume a cotton pillow case, although not stated.

(2) It isn't clear how the pillow case helps. Does it prevent abrasion so fibres aren't released? Does it trap the fibres in the fabric of the pillow case? Interestingly (or not) a gentle Eco wash seems to release more mico plastics than a more robust and energy consuming wash. No information on what to do with the pillow case and any trapped micro plastics.

Perhaps there is scope for a DIY filter than can be easily fitted to the washing machine drain to capture micro plastics? However that doesn't solve the long term disposal problem.

Answers on a postcard.

Dave R

[The Natural Philosopher]

Absolute f****ng TOSH!

The ground is a marvellous filter of any solid waste. That why they use sand based filter beds to filter sewage out. Or reed beds to purify water.

All that gets into ground water is soluble chemicals or liquids. Even bacteria don't make it via soil and permeable rock.

[alan_m]

You started off saying that the washing machine would have the micro plastic fibre filters so wouldn't that indicate that the pillow case is performing the same function.

Wouldn't a filter fine enough to capture the micro plastics also capture all the dirt from the clothes and become easily blocked?

[Chris Hogg]

What defines 'microplastics'? from what little I've read, anything finer than a few mm gets included, which isn't particularly 'micro' in my book.

Bearing in mind that modern landfill sites are heavily lined to stop leakage of assorted dissolved nasties into the surroundings and the water table, I doubt that microplastics would get into the water table that way either.

If these microplastics are capable of diffusing through the lining of a landfill site, a pillowcase isn't going to stop them!

If the DIY filter fitted to the drain in some way is going to catch the finest microplastics, it will need to have a large surface area to allow rapid discharge of the washing machine, and will probably soon block up and need to be cleaned or changed.

I would have thought the best way to deal with microplastics would be, and in many cases is, at the sewage works, where purpose-designed filters capable of handling large volumes of water and able to remove fine particles can be installed, if not already present. One thinks of the traditional sand-bed filters on many sewage works, a technology that has been around for donkey's years and is effective enough to produce potable water.

[Theo]

The problem is not about it getting into drinking water, it's what normally happens to the other 'solid waste': it gets spread on fields as fertiliser. If it contains microplastics as it dries out they get picked up by the wind and blown into the environment. If you filter them at source and they go to landfill they aren't blowing around the fields.

(Although, given the amount of tumble dryer fluff you get, I wonder how much is blown off by air-drying outside)

Theo

[Chris Hogg]

I'm surprised to hear that. I would have thought the risk of passing pathogens on to the crops and into the human food chain was significant.

There's nothing to stop it going to landfill where it can be managed, covered etc, rather than simply spreading it around. Better, would be to incinerate it, along with all the other domestic waste, and generate electricity, as happens at many waste incinerators these days.

[Steve Walker]

I don't know if is still the case, but decades ago, the Davyhulme Sewage Works stopped shipping solids along the Manchester Ship Canal to be dumped at sea and a similar sized sewage works in Liverpool stopped dumping their solids at sea - both sent them along a pipeline to somewhere in the middle and it was burned in an incinerator to produce power.

[williamwright]

There's often a disgusting smell of burnt food in Sheffield, enough to make you puke almost. I'm guessing it comes from the waste incineration plant that has been cleverly built right next to the city centre.

Bill

[Michael Chare]

No doubt the washing machines will be full of water when people find that their filters are clogged up.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

David brought next idea :

Sounds as if it will involve a lot of filter cleaning, they will catch much more than the micro plastics and quickly block.

[charles]

The one in Vienna is close to the city centre, too, but doesn't smell. Perhaps in Sheffiled they eat a different kind of food. Or, they've missed out a vital component.

[Tim+]

My first thought was that as long as the filters were washable, it wouldn?t be too inconvenient. ;-)

Tim

[alan_m]

:)

[Steve Walker]

An incinerator should not smell. They rely upon very high temperatures to break down toxic substances and prevent others forming - the smelly substances are also broken down by the heat. If it smells, then it'll be running incorrectly and releasing all sorts of toxins to the environment!

[Steve Walker]

If they keep clogging, most people will soon discard them!

[alan_m]

A smell may be what's going in and not the result of being burnt.

[alan_m]

Isn't close to where the waste is generated and possibly where any heat can be used the best place for an incinerator?

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

The other issue of course is are we heading to the same problem as with vacuum cleaners where the micro particles end up in the filters which you then clean and wash releasing said particles back into the environment again. One has no choice with the older vacuum, since filter packs are either expensive or unobtainable and in any case how would you dispose of the old filters anyway? Brian