We all know the impacts that plastics have on our everyday life, the convenience they provide makes it hard to give up.

But, our reliance on it and our over consumption of plastics is harming our environment, waterways, animals and oceans. While we can try to do our part by recycling plastics, a much larger problem called microplastics is creating bigger challenges across the globe.

Microplastics are small plastic particles less than 5 mm wide, equal to a size of an eraser at the end of a pencil. Microplastics are everywhere, some are large enough to see, others are small enough to breath.

Microplastics start small and can be found in plastic microbeads used in certain cosmetics. Others start as plastic water bottles, bags, containers and pill bottles that break down overtime.

Microplastics are in our water, food supply and animals. In a paper published in Environment International, researchers found plastic in the blood of 17 of 22 study participants or about 77 percent.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), used in disposable water bottles was found in 50 percent of the participants. Polystyrene (PS) which is used for food packaging and polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) was found in about 36 percent of the participants.

This is concerning because plastics are everywhere. While it can be overwhelming to think about ways to eliminate our use of plastics there are many things you can do to reduce your plastic usage and each one makes a difference.

My family has cleaned out our plastic containers and switched to more sustainable products. We substitute glass for plastic food containers. We stopped buying single-use plastic water bottles and purchased refillable water bottles. We only use reusable bags when shopping and started to make smarter purchases based on how the items are packaged.

It was a good start, but once I started understanding the impacts of microplastics I realized there was more we could be doing. Here are a few ways you can minimize microplastics in the environment and home.

Don’t microwave your food in plastic. While the container might say its microwave safe, it will still leach the plastic chemicals into your food. Instead use glass or wheat-straw containers.

Microplastics make their way into our oceans where bottom feeder shellfish consume them which means when you eat these shellfish you are ingesting microplastics. Make sure you do your research or limit how much shellfish you eat on a regular basis.

Cosmetics often contain microplastics. Before I purchase, I make sure to do my research. I also make my own lip balm, deodorant, and beauty products.

The internet has helpful instructions for homemade health products so by making my own, I know exactly what is in my products, and I know I am not purchasing products made of plastic or microplastics.

Microplastics are found in our laundry and dishwashing detergents. The pods/tablets that are so convenient contain microplastics and end up in our water. I’ve now switched to liquid less eco laundry sheets which dissolve in the wash which means no microplastics in our water and I am keeping single use plastic jugs out of the landfill where they eventually break down into microplastics.

Over 35% of microfibers in the ocean come from our washing machines. Many of our clothes are made with microplastics. With each wash, the microplastics in our clothes break down and end up in our wastewater.

We can purchase clothes made with organic materials and/or by purchasing a special filter for your washing machine we can collect the small particles that break down and prevent these tiny particles from entering our ecosystems.

A lot of the dust particles in our homes are microplastic. By vacuuming and dusting regularly you can cut down on the particles you are breathing. Air filters and purifiers can help to capture microplastics.

While it seems impossible to curtail our use of plastics and microplastics, by making small changes and researching your products, these changes can add up over time.

We can also demand action to reduce our reliance on plastics by supporting environmental and sustainability policies, candidates and organizations that fight for change.

Kim Warkentin is a member of the Resource Conservation Commission, and the youth education director for the Wisconsin Land+Water Conservation Association. She lives in Fitchburg with her husband and 14-year-old son, dog and cat.

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