Microplastics

A Poison Like No Other

Matt Simon reveals a whole new dimension to the plastic crisis, one even more disturbing than plastic bottles washing up on shores and grocery bags dumped in landfills....

Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here's What You Can Do About It

Yes, you should worry about climate change. But WIRED's editor in chief wants you to be aware of the fossil-fuel industry's secret survival weapon, too...

Scientists find microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow for the first time

Researchers gathered samples of snow from 19 different sites in the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica and discovered plastic particles in all of them...

Microplastics pass through fish, but do they cause harm?

Despite a growing amount of microplastics in lakes and oceans, very little is known about how fish are affected internally...

Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Plastic to Reach the Sea

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health...

Blue whales found to swallow 10 million microplastic pieces daily

They also now are ingesting huge amounts of plastic...due to the alarming volume of tiny particles of pollution choking the oceans.

Your Favorite Fleece is Bad for the Environment

Due to their size, the microplastics fleece jackets shed are harder to corral. If you see a water bottle floating along the shoreline, you pick it up...

The Planet Desperately Needs That UN Plastics Treaty

An agreement can't magically end the catastrophe of plastic pollution. But it could be a step in the right direction.

This Is the Reality of America's Fast-Fashion Addiction

I took a job to study how a tech company's focus on speed and scale affects warehouse workers. I found myself facing an onslaught of cheap clothing.

North Atlantic microplastic concentrations may exceed safe levels for marine life without intervention

Earlier research by The Ocean Cleanup has shown that plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches...

Twenty plastic-busting inventions to clean out rivers and seas

From plastic-devouring machines to watchful drones, these technologies are helping tackle plastic pollution in the ocean...

Washing Machine Filters Reduce Microfiber Emissions: Evidence From a Community-Scale Pilot in Parry Sound, Ontario

Washing clothing is a known pathway for microfibers to reach the environment...

How Okra Could Clean Up Our Drinking Water

Researchers at Tarleton State have found an all-natural way to prevent Texans from imbibing quite so many tiny plastic particles.

How to fight microplastic pollution with magnets

Huge amounts of plastic ends up rivers and oceans every year, harming the environment and potentially also human health...

Microfiber Innovation Challenge Finalists

12 solutions to prevent plastic microfiber pollution by transforming our clothing & textiles...

Egg whites can be transformed into a material capable of filtering microplastics from seawater

Researchers at Princeton Engineering have found a way...

This new fabric coating could drastically reduce microplastic pollution from washing clothes

Experiments conducted by a team of U of T Engineering researchers showed that this coating...

Samsung's new washing systems can help cut microplastic emissions by up to 54%

Aiming to bring about a new era of sustainable living, Samsung has unveiled new innovations in washing technology that...