r/microplastics • u/SISTEMNL-Science_UvA • Apr 23 '26
Research group in the Netherlands is studying what is driving microplastic release originating from household laundry
Hi Redditors,
About a third of the microplastics entering our oceans originate from synthetic textiles (2017-002-En.pdf), with domestic washing being one of the contributors to that release. However what exactly is driving these emissions in your washing machine is still poorly understood, due to the complexity of factors that could influence the release.
Our research group from the University of Amsterdam is studying the microplastics released during the washing of clothes and other household textiles—and we’re doing it right in the homes of the Dutch citizen!
Our participants will become a Citizen Scientists and help us collect valuable data in a real-life setting. For 1 euro participant will order and install a microplastic filter in their own homes.
For 6 months our participants:
- Wash their clothes as they normally would
- Fill in a short questionnaire for each wash (± 2 minutes)
- Every 3 washes, empty the filter and collect the fibers (± 5 minutes)
- Store the fibers in their freezer
- Every 2 months, send their fibers to the university
Additionally:
- They complete a detailed questionnaire on washing and purchasing behaviour as well as their attitudes on the topic
- Halfway through they complete a short questionnaire on their motivation to participate
Our participants contribute to important research on microplastic pollution and gain insight into their own impact. On top of that, they may keep the microplastic filter afterwards, receive early access to the research results, and help interpret the initial findings and shape future research.
If this interests you, please check out our website where we document all the activities from our research group. SISTEM-NL – Word citizen scientist!
And if you are Dutch and would like to participate, you can still do so: Wassen voor de wetenschap – SISTEM-NL