Conservation Comment: Synthetic fabrics new menace

Plastic killer: This dead seabird, with ingested plastic in its stomach, was found on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo/file

I applaud with enthusiasm those who are making and selling jute bags to fight the increasing use of plastic bags.

But please, don't stop at plastic bags.

I read recently that when a dead whale found on a beach was cut open it had been killed by plastic -- not plastic bags, but the microplastic balls that wash off our clothes ...

The Guardian, September 27, 2016, says:

"Single clothes wash may release 700,000 microplastic fibres, study finds.

"Tiny plastic particles released by synthetic fabrics can cause harm to marine life when they enter rivers and oceans.

"A team at Plymouth University in the UK spent 12 months analysing what happened when a number of synthetic materials were washed at different temperatures in domestic washing machines, using different combinations of detergents, to quantify the microfibres shed.

"They found that acrylic was the worst offender, releasing nearly 730,000 tiny synthetic particles per wash, five times more than polyester-cotton blend fabric, and nearly 1.5 times as many as polyester.

"Different types of fabrics can have very different levels of emissions," said Richard Thompson, Professor of marine biology at Plymouth University, who conducted the investigation with PhD student, Imogen Napper.

"We need to understand why is it that some types of [fabric] are releasing substantially more fibres [than others].

"These microfibres track through domestic wastewater into sewage treatment plants, where some of the tiny plastic fragments are captured as part of sewage sludge. The rest pass through into rivers and, eventually, oceans. A paper published in 2011 found microfibres made up 85 per cent of human-made debris on shorelines."

I am very alarmed that any microfibres reach oceans, rivers and streams. What happens when the microfibres are absorbed by sheep, chickens -- and us? And why don't these facts reach our TV screens on the news or documentaries? I have seen fishermen around the world predicting that fish will become extinct.

Of course, this is not all. Plastic containers are heaped in huge islands, many kilometres wide, in the oceans. These do not degrade, or degrade very slowly, and are dangerous for shipping and wildlife. Latest figures show the largest site in the world, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has doubled since I last checked. It is now twice the size of Texas. Plastic pieces outnumber marine life six to one.

This, surely, is a disastrous situation. I have contacted one manufacturer of clothing with a request for 100 per cent cotton and wool clothing. I have not had a reply, but see in their latest advertising that a few 100 per cent cotton and wool clothes are advertised. I would ask readers to join me. Great things come from small beginnings ...

Sara Dickon is a founder member of Sustainable Whanganui, and committee member of NCWNZ and UNANZ.