MP discusses ways to cut microplastic waste
POLLUTANT ENDS UP IN SEWAGE
MP Alberto Costa has met with senior officials from Severn Trent to discuss the issue of microplastics in wastewater.
Mr Costa, the South Leicestershire MP and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics, discussed the filtering processes at treatment plants on a visit to Lutterworth sewage treatment works.
Microfibre plastic can be shed from clothing during a laundry cycle and ends up in rivers and seas by escaping from wastewater treatment.
Mr Costa has been campaigning for all new domestic and commercial washing machines to be fitted with microfibre catching filters.
He said the talks covered the issue of microplastics escaping treatment works and some potential technologies may prevent this.
He also discussed sewage sludge, which can be used as fertiliser or soil improver but often contains chemicals and microplastics.
Mr Costa said: “As chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics, I was very interested to learn of the work Severn Trent does at the Lutterworth treatment site.
“I was particularly interested in the harnessing of materials to create a circular economy.
“Microplastics can easily escape treatment works so I was very grateful to Severn Trent for showing me the screening process. I will continue to raise awareness of the effects of microplastic pollution on our environment in Parliament and to campaign for microplastic fibrecatching filters to be added to all new domestic and commercial washing machines.”
Peter Vale, from Severn Trent’s innovation team, said: “We talked about the importance of source control of microplastics – and our support for the proposed Bill on preventing those microplastics coming from the washing of clothes entering the sewage network.
“We also had a great conversation about the innovation we were doing on extracting value from waste and the benefits of a circular economy.
“We talked about the valuable energy, material and water in sewage and how we have a number of innovation projects looking at recovery of these materials.”