Tumble dryers found to be a primary source of microplastic pollution

One tumble dryer could be responsible for releasing 120 million microplastic fibres into the air each year, Newshub reports. It’s estimated that, by 2050, the number of microfibres released into the environment per year – simply by washing textiles – may increase to 70,000 tonnes. That’s the equivalent of dumping 400 million polyester T-shirts into the sea. In 2019, researchers found the average person consumes between 74,000 and 120,000 microplastics a year – double if they drink bottled water regularly.