Microplastic fibres

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Plastic fibres and particles are consumed and passed up the food chain by tiny marine creatures that mistake them for food. Plastic debris has been found in plankton that are eaten in large numbers by salmon and other fish consumed by humans. Plastic particles have even been detected in baleen whales and the scat of marine mammals.

 

Plastic particles

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Lint is not just in your dryer. The agitation of washing machines creates tremendous amounts of lint and material fibers. The more lint, the more time required for it to breakdown in your septic system, and the more likely your septic field will be contaminated with untreated waste solids. Lint causes damage throughout septic systems, most notably in the drain field where it plugs up the pores of the soil bed and causes system failure..

 

Contamination of habitats

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While microplastics have the potential to cause many adverse effects in wildlife and humans (cancer, malformations, decreased immune response, impaired reproductive ability, etc.), it is unknown whether microplastics in the marine food web pose an immediate threat to human health. As the human population grows and people use more synthetic fabrics, contamination of habitats and animals by microplastics is likely to increase. Studies are on-going.

 

Even if you are not on a septic system, lint can block your sewage drains. Back-ups are expensive – and messy!

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LINT-LUV-R filters are promoted by Clean Nova Scotia and recommended by Nova Scotia Department of the Environment.