GuppyFriend Washing Bag - Addressing the Microplastics Problem

 Microplastics are water-insoluble synthetic (polymeric) particles measuring between 1 and 5000 μm (0.001 - 5 mm). They are considered a pollutant when found in the natural biosphere. They are in the news a lot these days due to their ubiquitous nature. For example, see here, here, here, here, and here. They can be found in fresh and marine waters, the air we breathe and the food we eat. Scientists are now finding microplastics throughout the human body and we do not yet understand how this will affect human health.

While some microplastics are deliberately made (e.g. microbeads in cosmetics), the majority of microplastics are generated by general wear and tear (e.g. clothes, tyres) and/or environmental degradation of polymer products exposed to the natural environment. Studies have shown that up to 90% of the microplastics found in the ocean are derived from domestic and commercial clothes-washing. Washing your clothes at home is, therefore, an important and significant source of microplastics that end up in the environment.

It is incumbent upon us all to minimise the release of microplastics in the wastewater from our laundry. Essentially, there are three options: (A) filter the wastewater (here and here), (B) put clothes in a fine mesh bag, (C) use an in-wash filter ball. Option A is the most expensive though, ultimately, likely to be the most efficient. Options B & C have similar cost outlays; B wins because of its higher efficacy at trapping microplastics.

Before describing my first impressions of the GuppyFriend, it is worth mentioning a few low technology options that can reduce the amount of microfibres generated during domestic laundering:

• Buy fewer clothes and wash them less frequently
• Use lower wash temperatures
• Use shorter wash cycles
• Don't tumble dry, use a wash line or clothes airer
• Run full loads rather than small loads

So, having reviewed the options (A, B, C), I plumped for the GuppyFriend Washing Bag based on its low cost/high efficiency. This edition of Sliced Bread (a UK radio programme) discusses ecolaundry products including microfibre filters (note: I'm not sure the link works outside the UK). It should be noted that clothes made from natural fibres (e.g. wool, cotton, linen) also discharge microfibres during the laundry process. These are generally considered less harmful than microplastics because they degrade much faster (months/years rather than decades/centuries).

I bought two GuppyFriend washing bags from WWF (£50 plus postage) because, I thought, I might as well help an environmental charity at the same time. 

Photo 1: GuppyFriend Packaging

Two bags would allow me to run a full load whilst only filling the washing bags two-thirds full (recommended). Just place the laundry items in the bags, being careful not to overfill, and close the zip (Photo 2).

Photo 2: GuppyFriend Filled with Laundry & Ready to Go

It is recommended that any obvious stains are pre-treated before placing in the bag. My laundry items consisted of natural, synthetic and mixed fabrics. You can, if you wish, just put the synthetic and mixed fabrics (if part synthetic) in the washing bag and just add natural fabrics to the machine as normal. To be honest, I'm not 100% certain which laundry items are made wholly or partly of synthetic polymers, so I save some sorting time by just putting everything in a bag! It is important to make sure the pull tab of the zip fastener is tucked away in its sleeve (Photo 3) so that the bag is correctly sealed.

Photo 3: Zip Safely Tucked Into Its Sleeve

I use a short 70 minute wash cycle at 40 ℃ with a 1400 rpm spin. I had some concerns about whether a cooler wash (e.g. 20 ℃ or 30 ℃) would have enough cleaning power due to the restricted movement of the laundry items in the bags. After about ten successful washes, there doesn't appear to be any issues on this front so I may try some cooler washes in future.

On completion of the wash, it's time to tip the clothes/bedding/towels out of the bags and transfer the wet laundry to the heat pump tumble dryer. I know I said that drying on a wash line or clothes airer was preferable but I use the distilled water recovered from the tumble dryer for watering indoor plants (like rainwater) and my citizen science work. Nobody is perfect!

Any microfibres/microplastics released during the wash are trapped in the corners around the zip ends You may need to very gently prize the seams apart a little to find and remove them (Photo 4 & Photo 5).

Photo 4: Trapped Microfibres/Microplastics

Photo 5: Trapped Microfibres/Microplastics

Photo 6: Recovered Microfibres & Microplastics

So, how much microfibre/microplastic is collected by the GuppyFriend during a normal wash? There is only one way to find out; set up some experiments. Two separate mixed fibre loads, each of 2.75 Kg (6 pounds), were washed at 40 ℃ using a mixed programme (70 minutes, 1400 rpm spin). Each load was split between two washing bags and contained both natural and synthetic items. After the wash, the clothes were extracted from the bags and any collected microfibres/microplastics removed and set aside to dry for 24 hours before weighing on a microbalance (0.001 g to 50.000 g).

One wash yielded 0.022 g and the other 0.010 g. As a percentage of the total wash load (2.75 Kg), this is a very small amount, between 0.0004% and 0.0008%; however, small quantities can soon become large amounts.  A year's washing (our two-person household, three washes/week) would yield only 2.5 g. However, there are 28.6 million households in the United Kingdom; pro rata this would equate to 71,500 metric tonnes per annum just from this one small country. 

My results were obtained on mixed (natural/synthetic) washes so not all the recovered material will be microplastics. When viewed under the microscope (400x), the synthetic plastic fibres show as uniform smooth and linear strands (Photo 7) whereas natural fibres are irregular with a greater variety of thicknesses and texture (Photo 8).

Photo 7: Synthetic Fibres Collected by the GuppyFriend

Photo 8: Natural Fibres Collected by the GuppyFriend

I estimate that natural fibres made up the bulk of the recovered material from the GuppyFriend Washing Bags. Which means I'm going to have to repeat these washing experiments with some all synthetic washes. If, or when, I do then I will update my estimates and provide an update.