如何減少超細纖維污染

如何減少超細纖維污染

The issue of plastic pollution in our environment has become a huge problem, and quickly. In the past few decades, our use of all types of plastics has skyrocketed — especially single-use disposables, which 40 percent of plastics are. And in that short time, plastics feel like they've become entrenched in our culture. I know know even though I try pretty hard, I still end up using a lot more than I want to. Even worse? Many of us are polluting with plastics despite our best intentions, just by washing our clothes.

塑料污染問題在我們的環(huán)境中已經(jīng)成為一個巨大的問題，而且速度很快。在過去的幾十年里，我們對各種塑料的使用突飛猛進——尤其是一次性塑料，占塑料總量的40%。在這么短的時間里，塑料似乎已經(jīng)在我們的文化中根深蒂固了。我知道，盡管我很努力，但最終還是用了比我想要的多得多的東西。更糟糕的是，盡管我們的初衷是好的，但我們中的許多人僅僅通過洗衣服就已經(jīng)在用塑料制造污染。

It's incredibly frustrating to think that the ve

Maybe you've heard about microplastic pollution. Every time we wash synthetic fabrics like polyester, which is just a yarn made from plastic, very small pieces break off and flow down the drain into our local waterways. No, water-treatment plants can't catch all the pieces. And the older the fabrics, the more fibers they shed in the wash, so those of us who keep our clothes for decades to save both money and resources, are actually the biggest offenders when it comes to microplastic shedding.

也許你聽說過微塑料污染。每次我們洗合成纖維織物，比如滌綸，它是由塑料制成的紗線，非常小的碎片會脫落并流入我們當(dāng)?shù)氐南滤?。不，水處理工廠不可能捕捉到所有的碎片。而且面料越舊，它們在洗滌過程中脫落的纖維越多，所以我們這些為了省錢和節(jié)約資源而把衣服保存幾十年的人，實際上是微塑料脫落的罪魁禍首。

No, it doesn't matter what kind of polyester, nylon, or combo-synthetic fabric you use, this microfiber shedding in the washing machine happens whether you buy a fleece or yoga pants made with virgin materials or made from recycled bottles.

不，不管你用的是哪種滌綸、尼龍還是合成纖維，不管你買的是羊毛還是瑜伽褲，還是用回收的瓶子，洗衣機里的超細纖維都會脫落。

But you can also tackle this issue personally by making some simple changes in what you buy and your laundry routine:

但是你也可以通過一些簡單的改變來解決這個問題:

Wash your clothes less frequently: Plenty of us throw our clothes into the laundry even when they're not really dirty, to avoid putting them away. This is a waste of water resources (and energy, if they're dried in the dryer). But it also contributes to microfiber pollution every time you wash. So if you wash less, fewer fibers get loose. So wear that fleece a few more times before tossing it into the wash, or wear a cotton undershirt beneath your polyester tops or dresses, so you can simply wash the undershirt and not the whole dress or blouse each time you wear them.

減少洗衣服的頻率:我們很多人為了避免衣服扔掉，即使它們不是很臟也會扔進洗衣房。這是浪費水資源(和能源，如果他們在烘干機中烘干)。但它也會造成你每次洗澡時的超細纖維污染。所以如果你洗得少，就會有更少的纖維脫落。所以在把羊毛扔進洗衣機之前多穿幾次，或者在你的滌綸上衣或連衣裙下面穿一件棉質(zhì)汗衫，這樣你就可以簡單地把汗衫洗一洗，而不是每次穿的所有衣服。

Wear only natural fibers: Choosing only 100 percent natural-fiber clothing like wool, alpaca, cashmere, cotton, linen and silk is one way to avoid sending microplastics into the environment, since when these materials are washed, the fibers they lose are biodegradable. I've actually gone this route over the last few years; I haven't actively thrown away good clothing, but when it's come time to replace a jacket, I have gotten a boiled-wool sweater instead. I find natural fibers to be much more comfortable against my skin and less stinky too, when it comes to workout wear, meaning I need to wash them less.

只穿天然纖維:選用羊毛、羊駝絨、羊絨、棉、麻、絲等100%天然纖維服裝，是避免將微塑料送入環(huán)境的一種方法，因為當(dāng)這些材料被洗滌時，它們失去的纖維是可生物降解的。過去幾年我已經(jīng)這樣做了;我沒有主動扔掉好衣服，但是當(dāng)它到來的時候我換了件夾克，換了一件毛線毛衫.我發(fā)現(xiàn)天然纖維對我的皮膚更舒服，而且在鍛煉時也不那么臭，當(dāng)穿著它鍛煉時，意味著我不需要洗太多次。

Use a fiber-collecting device in your washing machine: There are a few out there, like the Guppyfriend, which collects microfibers inside a bag. You can then scoop them out and toss them in the trash, where at least they won't work their way into the water supply. There's also the Cora Ball, which might be easier to use, since it collects whatever microfibers loosen in a whole load of wash. Besides, you might not know exactly what clothes are even made from if labels wear off over time.

在你的洗衣機里使用一個纖維收集裝置:有一些在外面，像Guppyfriend，它收集袋子里的超細纖維。然后你可以把它們撈出來，扔進垃圾桶，至少它們不會進入供水系統(tǒng)。還有一種是Cora球，它可能更容易使用，因為它能收集在大量洗滌過程中松開的任何微纖維。此外，如果衣服上的標(biāo)簽隨著時間的流逝而磨損，你甚至可能不知道衣服到底是用什么做的。

There's no simple solution to our plastics problem, whether we're talking microfibers or single-use plastics or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Dealing with any of it will require time, money, ingenuity, individual behavior change and — toughest of all — getting large companies to change their business models. Because right now, the capitalist structure that we all live within requires constant growth for every company, and the faster the growth, the better. So, the more plastic we use, the more stuff we consume, the better for financial bottom lines — even if it's worse for our health and the health of the planet.

我們的塑料問題沒有簡單的解決辦法，無論是微纖維還是一次性塑料還是大太平洋垃圾帶。處理這些問題需要時間、金錢、創(chuàng)造力、個人行為的改變，最困難的是讓大公司改變他們的商業(yè)模式。因為現(xiàn)在，我們所處的資本主義結(jié)構(gòu)要求每個公司持續(xù)增長，增長越快越好。所以，我們使用的塑料越多，我們消費的東西就越多，對財務(wù)底線也越好--即使這對我們的健康和地球的健康都是不利的。