Synthetic laundry in the washing machine releases microplastics. A new test has evaluated the effectiveness of some devices in capturing them
Yesterday we told you about the Altroconsumo test which investigated the release of microplastics of capsules and tabs for washing machines and dishwashers. In parallel, another test was also carried out which evaluated the real effectiveness of two well-known devices, useful precisely for capturing microplastics in the washing machine, preventing them from being dispersed in the waste water.
The devices in question are Cora Ball, a ball to be inserted in the basket and Guppyfriend which instead is a bag (we talked about both of them in the article: What you can do right away to reduce the microplastics of the laundry discharged from the washing machine).
What emerged? Regarding the Cora Ball, Altroconsumo writes:
In our test it did not prove effective: we found quantities of microfibers equivalent to those of a wash without Cora Ball.
The situation is different with Guppyfriend which retained almost 67% of fibers during the test:
also showing the ability to "separate" them from the tangle typical of the fibers that are dispersed with the fabrics
The filters to be attached to the outside of the washing machine have not been tested but, according to what emerges from a 2018 research of the University of Plymouth, (UK), the XFiltra filter has reduced the amount of fibers in the wastewater but other known filters, including Planet Care or Lint LUV-R, showed a lower effectiveness (less than 80%).
Source: Altroconsumo
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- When you do the washing machine, reduce the temperature by 10 degrees to get this huge advantage!
