But Swanson, 36, realized he could do more after discovering the pollution he was creating by doing his laundry. A zip-up sweater made of polyester fleece, which contains recycled plastic has been shown to lose up to 10 million tiny fibres during each laundry wash, according to the Vancouver Aquarium. (Chad Pawson/CBC)When clothing — such as a polyester fleece sweater for example — gets washed, some of its fibres break off. The scientists say 30 billion of the fibres pass through one water treatment plant in Vancouver alone each year and into the ocean. For example, he still wears polyester fleece sweaters, but less than in the past, and he tries not to wash them often.

Source: CBC News April 14, 2019 12:56 UTC