Polyester Pollution

[DougPaul]

Fibers from our polyester, and particularly fleece, gear are polluting the coastal oceans. They travel in wash and rinse water, through treatment plants, and into the oceans.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/10/cleaning-clothes-dirties-oceans/

Doug

 

[Stash]

...and the alternative? Wool for all? Fiberglass? Better filtration at the sewage processing plant?

Does the residue work into the leach field of my septic system and stay there or is removed with the solid waste when my tank is pumped every few years and taken to a facility?

How does that Joe Jackson song go?

 

[Craig]

GoLite has been putting “it's money where it's mouth is” for a couple of years on these type of environmental issues.

I'm not trash

Did you know that most of the wear and tear from and the environmental impact of your clothing comes not from how it was manufactured, sold, or transported, but from how you care for it through washing and drying it?

 

[DougPaul]

...and the alternative? Wool for all? Fiberglass? Better filtration at the sewage processing plant?

Wool is probably OK. Glass dissolves slowly so fiberglass might also be OK.

I don't know if adequate filtration is practical.

Does the residue work into the leach field of my septic system and stay there or is removed with the solid waste when my tank is pumped every few years and taken to a facility?

My guess is that the residue ends up in both places.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

GoLite has been putting “it's money where it's mouth is” for a couple of years on these type of environmental issues.

I'm not trash

The GoLite program is about recycling old products.

The issue here is plastic particles that come off the fabric when it is washed. The GoLite program does not address this issue.

Doug

 

[bigmoose]

All the more reason to hike nekkid.

 

[DougPaul]

All the more reason to hike nekkid.

Or at least to never wash your gear...

Doug

 

[--M.]

...and the alternative? Wool for all? Fiberglass? Better filtration at the sewage processing plant?

Does the residue work into the leach field of my septic system and stay there or is removed with the solid waste when my tank is pumped every few years and taken to a facility?

How does that Joe Jackson song go?

(Everything Gives You) Cancer. And don't play that piano!

[Was that the one you meant?]

 

[Stash]

(Everything Gives You) Cancer. And don't play that piano!

[Was that the one you meant?]

Gold star for you.

 

[--M.]

It was either that or "Cha Cha Loco."

Thanks, DougPaul, for the article. It's frustrating to see that so much of what we do seems to have such negative consequences for the others in the sandbox. Even as a little kid standing on the beach in Dennis, I was repulsed to hear that the ocean is our sewer. I felt validated in this during the Boston Harbor clean-up litigation and was proud of the federal judge ("Mazzone"?) who finally said the obvious, "Of course we should clean it up!" (probably not an exact quote). It's embarrassing to hear of "trash gyres" and finding coke cans at the bottom of the ocean and how much drug content there is in the effluent..., and now this!

So what's to be done? I always assumed the answer was to minimize the damage and maximize contributions to the planet elsewhere..., just do your best; but it seems to get away from us. How about Paul Simon's "Slip Slidin' Away"?

I'm still proud of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts; it's definitely better than it was.

 

[Maddy]

Our water bottles were killing us, now it's our "polyester".

It's back to "cotton"... and our old slogan "cotton kills"!

Good article. I look forward to the solution. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[Little Rickie]

Doesn't sunlight and ozone breakdown polyester?

Cotton on kills when it's wet.

I agree, all the more reason for wool the natural renewable fiber.

 

[Fisher Cat]

You want wool?! Here you go, it's all the wool you need. The only non-wool items were the mocs and the sheath. Believe it or not, even on some mid-summer Historical Treks I have been quite comfy in single wool layers. Yes they feel heavy, but they do breathe rather well.

 

[Chip]

I haven't had my septic tank pumped in probably 10 years. I don't think my father has ever had his pumped, so that's about 48 years. I always believed if the system was working properly, there'd be no need to have it pumped, which was probably true until synthetic fibers came along. It'd be interesting to know if enough is building up to affect the systems. Obviously the dryer has a lint trap but the washer doesn't. Is any portion of TP synthetic ? That'd probably be worse. Interesting.

In terms of what can we do: Downsizing lifestyles, homes, cars, travel, "stuff" appears to be a trend since the economic and real estate collapse. That's not great for the economy, but is better for the environment.

 

[erugs]

So what's to be done? I always assumed the answer was to minimize the damage and maximize contributions to the planet elsewhere..., just do your best; but it seems to get away from us. I'm still proud of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts; it's definitely better than it was.

"What's to be done" is a good question, and "minimize/maximize elsewhere" are good answers. Do you use plastic straws or stirrers in your drinks? Do you use wads of paper towels? Do you re-use a paper napkin if it is yours and not too soiled? Do you base shopping habits on buying goods with less packaging as possible? Do you save scrap paper that would be trashed rather than use fresh sticky notes?

Those are some non-hiking answers. What can we do specifically as hikers? Let's see the list grow...

 

[bikehikeskifish]

So, if I keep my thermostat low, then I wear more fleece to stay warm, which requires more laundering, ... Maybe I should wear cotton sweatshirts in the winter since I'm not too worried about them getting wet...

Tim

 

[Stash]

I haven't had my septic tank pumped in probably 10 years. I don't think my father has ever had his pumped, so that's about 48 years. I always believed if the system was working properly, there'd be no need to have it pumped, which was probably true until synthetic fibers came along..

In the traditional septic/leach system - you might get away with that. Many newer systems in coastal or high clay areas are a bit more complicated and involve pumps and filters. Even non-synthetic items can mess it up. A hundred dollars every few years beats a $20K replacement.

 

[Stash]

Those are some non-hiking answers. What can we do specifically as hikers? Let's see the list grow...

Do you run the water non-stop when shaving or brushing your teeth? Less water used means less processed by sewage plants.

 

[DougPaul]

Doesn't sunlight and ozone breakdown polyester?

I know polyester is much more resistant than nylon to UV (which is one reason that it is used for sails and modern tent flies). However, even if it is adequately susceptible to degradation by UV, water absorbs UV and sediment blocks it. I don't know if meaningful amounts of ozone are found in water and sediment.

I agree, all the more reason for wool the natural renewable fiber.

Modern wool is highly processed (including chemical processing)--I don't know what the environmental impact might be.

Doug

 

[Little Rickie]

Fibers from our polyester, and particularly fleece, gear are polluting the coastal oceans. They travel in wash and rinse water, through treatment plants, and into the oceans.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/10/cleaning-clothes-dirties-oceans/

Doug

“These tiny pieces have the potential not only to get inside tissues of mussels and other animals,” he said, “but to actually move into their cells. That’s pretty frightening.”

I knew it! The Borg nanorobots are sneaking into......us! I gonna have to stop eating sea food.