Dear Front Rangers >> As we close the second week of Plastic Free July, we’re raising the flag about microplastics.

When we think of plastic pollution, we usually picture grocery bags tangled in trees or bottles bobbing in the ocean. But a huge part of the plastic problem is invisible — tiny fragments either embedded in everyday products or broken down from larger plastics, and they’re everywhere.

Microplastics and nanoplastics form when plastic items degrade from sunlight, weather, or friction, or when they’re intentionally made this small for use in products. At this size, we can breathe them in, swallow them, and even absorb them through our skin.

Scientists have found microplastics in:

• Human blood, lungs, placentas and other organs.

• Drinking water—including bottled water!

• Soil and farmland (often from plastic mulch or sewage sludge).

• Fish, birds, and other wildlife.

• Lakes, oceans, and deep-sea sediment.

Even more concerning than how widespread microplastics are is how harmful they might be. Studies are linking microplastics to problems like brain and heart health, hormone disruption, reproductive issues and possibly some cancers.

Some of the biggest sources are hard to avoid — like tire wear, which creates airborne nanoplastics, or wastewater from washing synthetic fabrics, which flows into rivers and oceans.

So what can we do?

• Avoid eating or drinking from plastic containers, especially if they’ve been heated or left in the sun—heat makes plastic break down faster.

• Check the materials when you buy clothes, carpets, curtains, and furniture. Many are made from plastic-based fabrics that shed microplastics. Look for natural fibers like cotton, hemp, or wool.

• Use a laundry filter to catch microfibers. The Guppyfriend washing bag (guppyfriend.com), Cora Ball (coraball.com), and Filtrol filter (filtrol.net) are all good options for reducing microplastic pollution from your laundry.

• Say no to plastic stuff when you can — so much of what we buy is made of plastic, even when it doesn’t need to be.

• Learn where plastic hides in everyday items — tea bags, chewing gum, acrylic paint, glitter, bandages and wet wipes are just a few surprising places.

On a larger scale, policy change is part of the solution. In 2015, the U.S. passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act, banning plastic microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics like facial scrubs and toothpaste. And next month, global leaders will meet in Geneva for the sixth round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty. Many advocates are calling for a worldwide cap on plastic production.

Small shifts add up — and when we move together, bigger change is possible. Here’s to a healthy summer with less plastic.

— Eco-Monkey

Got Zero Waste questions? We have answers! Contact recycle@ecocycle.org or call Eco-Cycle at 303-444-6634.