TORONTO – Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Rochman Lab are exploring the effectiveness of washing machine filters at lowering the quantities of textile-derived microfibres which make their way into water treatment plants.
The next step of its research involves the institution partnering with Georgian Bay Forever on a two-year project which will see filters fitted to around 100 domestic washing machines in Ontario, Canada.
Based on findings to date, researchers see filters as a “low-cost” solution which can achieve results as high as 89 per cent of microfibres (in terms of weight) being captured and prevented from travelling onwards towards marine ecosystems.
