SO WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS?
ANY pieces of plastic less than five millimetres long.
Some have been made small intentionally, for example industrial abrasives used in sandblasting and microbeads in facial scrubs.
Although banned in cosmetics in 2018, they still exist in rivers, streams and seas.
Wet wipes containing plastic microfibres, incorrectly flushed down the toilet, break down causing a risk to marine life.
Others have formed by breaking away from larger plastics such as carrier bags that have fragmented over time.
waste is released into waterways, scientists say they can now link the practice to microplastic pollution like this.
This part of the River Tame in Greater Manchester is downstream from a storm overflow where untreated sewage is discharged by United Utilities.
Jamie Woodward, Professor of Physical Geography at The University of Manchester, led the study which uncovered the horrifying extent of the microplastic pollution and blamed it on the routine discharge of untreated wastewater in dry weather.
He tells me: “Our work has shown that water company discharges are the key supplier of microplastics to UK rivers.
“Water companies must stop releasing untreated sewage and wastewater into rivers during periods of dry weather, as this causes riverbeds to be heavily contaminated with microplastics and maximises habitat damage.”
Rivers were also the main “supplier of microplastics to the oceans”.
He said: “To tackle the global marine
microplastic problem, we need to limit their input to rivers. This should be a win-win for the Government and the environment. Tackling wastewater and sewage spills also tackles a big part of the microplastic problem.”
His study of the River Tame found concentrations of 130,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of sediment on the riverbed, more than double that of the previous recorded worst spot for microplastic river pollution in the world. The latest Environment Agency data shows that water companies in England discharged untreated wastewater into rivers and coastal waters more than
400,000 times in 2020 over 3.1 million hours, compared with 293,000 in 2019.
United Utilities was the worst company for discharges, releasing 113,940 times for 726,000 hours.
The company told the Mirror it had commissioned a study into the “sources, pathways, consequences and controls of microplastic”, but said: “Wastewater systems are not designed to treat plastics or microplastics.
“Whilst we recognise wastewater is a pathway for microplastics, Professor Woodward’s research did not consider other important sources of microplastics in the immediate study area such as the presence of plastics recycling plants.” But Prof Woodward said: “That argument is flawed.
“The presence of microbeads in high concentration is an incontrovertible link to the wastewater network. We are seeking solutions not excuses.”
Scientists have found the 95 miles of the tidal Thames is suffering rising nitrate levels due to industrial runoff and sewage discharges.
The State of the Thames report found the density of microplastics in the river was 19.5 plastics per cubic metre, and microplastics flowed at a rate of up to 94,000 pieces a second.
Water firms are allowed to release rainwater and untreated sewage, but only in “exceptional” circumstances.
Environmentalists say better infrastructure, such as storage tanks, could prevent this and have called for sewer systems to be upgraded.
The House of Lords last month proposed an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have imposed a legal duty on companies to stop releasing raw sewage into waterways.
But MPs voted against it and this week a less stringent amendment was passed, which campaigners have condemned for being too weak.