What are microplastics? Everything you need to know. And how to minimize your impact.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5 mm big. Think the size of a sesame seed. These are found in clothing, beauty supplies, containers, single use plastics and many more products. Microplastics are harmful to our oceans, water supply and may even be harmful to our health. Photo by Corey Davis What are microplastics? There are two types of microplastics. Primary and Secondary. Primary microplastics come to us already as small particles. This includes microbeads that are found in toothpaste, beauty products and cleaning supplies. They also come from washing our clothes, especially those made of nylon and polyester. When certain fabrics are washed microfibers containing plastic are released. Primary microplastics make up about 25% of microplastic found in the oceans. 75% of microplastics found in oceans come from secondary microplastics. These secondary microplastics come from larger pieces of plastic, from forks, plastic bags, and fishing wire. These pieces of plastic are d
