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PlanetCare closes the loop on microplastic pollution from washing machines

PlanetCare closes the loop on microplastic pollution from washing machines
The PlanetCare 2.0 filter is designed to remove 98% of microfibers from washing machine waste water
The PlanetCare 2.0 filter is designed to remove 98% of microfibers from washing machine waste water
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The PlanetCare 2.0 filter is designed to remove 98% of microfibers from washing machine waste water
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The PlanetCare 2.0 filter is designed to remove 98% of microfibers from washing machine waste water
Each PlanetCare 2.0 filter is reported good for 30 or more loads, when it's removed and returned to the company for cleaning and re-use, while the captured microfibers are recycled
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Each PlanetCare 2.0 filter is reported good for 30 or more loads, when it's removed and returned to the company for cleaning and re-use, while the captured microfibers are recycled
The PlanetCare External Microfiber Filter 2.0 will go on sale from December 2023
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The PlanetCare External Microfiber Filter 2.0 will go on sale from December 2023
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Years before Samsung and others started tackling microplastic from machine washes escaping into the environment, there was Slovenia-based PlanetCare. Now the company has announced its second-generation external filter.

Many of us wear clothing made from synthetic fabric such as polyester and acrylic. They inevitably get dirty or smelly during use, and when we pop them into the washing machine, tiny fibers break away as the clothing gets bashed and bounced around inside of the drum.

Figures suggest that the source of some 35% of microplastics in the world's oceans is the humble washing machine, with a team from Plymouth University in the UK finding that a single wash could release more than 700,000 tiny acrylic particles into the environment.

Corporate lawyer Mojca Zupan was so shocked by such information that she quit her day job and founded PlanetCare to stop the problem at its source. Initially, the plan was to try and get manufacturers to install filters in their machines, but there was resistance so Zupan and team developed an external microfiber filter – which launched in 2020 and now has more than 7,000 active users.

The PlanetCare External Microfiber Filter 2.0 will go on sale from December 2023
The PlanetCare External Microfiber Filter 2.0 will go on sale from December 2023

The waste water pipe from the washing machine is connected to the filter housing, and an output pipe then runs to the drain. A cartridge inside traps the microfibers released during a cycle, and after 15 - 20 loads it's removed and replaced with a fresh one.

The user then sends the spent cartridge back to the company for cleaning, replacing the filter and resupplying customers - a subscription service is available that gets fresh ones sent out regularly. Meanwhile the trapped fibers are collected for responsible recycling.

The next-gen design will work similarly, but the filter will be able to capture 98% of all microfibers down to 10 microns in length from washing machine waste water. The number of loads per cartridge has been increased to 30 or more. And the PlanetCare 2.0 "is made entirely from recycled plastic and follows the pure principles of passive design, requiring no power or electronic components, which means there will never be any batteries or equipment to dispose of."

Each PlanetCare 2.0 filter is reported good for 30 or more loads, when it's removed and returned to the company for cleaning and re-use, while the captured microfibers are recycled
Each PlanetCare 2.0 filter is reported good for 30 or more loads, when it's removed and returned to the company for cleaning and re-use, while the captured microfibers are recycled

The PlanetCare External Microfiber Filter 2.0 will go on sale from December at US$96 for the small starter kit or $193 for the XL starter kit. Existing customers can upgrade to the new design for $32. We've no word on subscription costs/availability for US customers, though the current EU-only scheme comes in at €7.50 per month.

The company has also announced an upcoming collaboration with a sustainable furniture producer to use the fibers and filtering medium in new products down the track.

Source: PlanetCare

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6 comments
6 comments
paul314
Just wondering: what's the carbon impact of shipping all those new and used filters across continents?
Jennifer Page
Surprised EU hasn’t already issued a mandate that all new washing machines must have a microfilter. Would actually be useful.
freddotu
I'm quite disappointed that the filters are not user-washable, although one must be certain not to simply wash the collected debris down the same drain. I have a Filtrol washing machine filter system that captures 100 micron and above and is washable. After a year or two, I have to replace it due to the mesh becoming clogged, but that's far longer than 20-30 loads. I'm amazed at the volume of ordinary grit as well as fibers that the 100 micron mesh manages to remove.
Paul Faucher
If I do 3-4 loads of laundry a week I will need to replace the filter every month, and this will go into the landfill???? Remember all the clothes dirt goes out the drain, my muddy socks will fill this filter after the first wash. This is not a solution this is as bad a K-Cups. We can do better than this. Please do not buy this filter.
Karmudjun
I guess there are people out there looking to be a solution to a problem that has been conquered already - except instead of protecting the planet, Filtrol was designed to protect one's septic system from "forever plastics".
https://www.filtrol.net/
I have been using these since 2000 or so, I may have gotten my first in 1999. Amazing all the lint and stuff that doesn't go down my very long sewer line to the municipal sewage system. I used to have to snake my own drain once or twice a year. Low flush toilets and such just didn't do a good job keeping the lines open. It took purchasing a Filtrol 160 and extra filters plus the start of using digestive enzymes in my outflow regularly (as in once a week). I haven't had to call anyone in to snake my waste line in 6-8 years! For this house with a long waste line - that is damn good! This is old technology, I just let the crap dry, use a brush to pull it off the netting & toss the stuff into a landfill (municipal waste collection) and use an air compressor to blow the filters clean - then reuse them. Check out this old company's products!
Global
Or we could just switch to 100% natural fibers cotton, silk & wool, etc.