Found: pesticides and 11 Soil Health: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2023–24 microplastics

Found: proposals in the current Water Industry Price Review, we are collaborating with water companies on microplastics

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants in removing microplastics from waste water.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A recent UK water industry project investigated the quantities and types of microplastics entering a range of wastewater treatment works. The Department reviewed the findings from the work and agrees with the conclusion that conventional wastewater treatment is effective in removing microplastics from wastewater. The evidenced showed treatment processes can take out an average of 99% of microplastics (by-number of microplastics) and 99.5% by-mass from wastewater arriving at the works.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent microplastics entering waterways from washing machines.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government recently funded an external rapid evidence assessment to better understand the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of installing filters in washing machines. The filters aim to trap textile microplastic fibres during the laundry cycle and before discharge to sewer networks and wastewater treatment works. The assessment concluded further evidence was needed to determine how to avert additional costs incurred by consumers of new washing machines with filters, and the consumer’s sustainable disposal of used filters. Industry are currently conducting research and developing proposals to develop filters that meet this criteria, and Government are happy to review any research in this area.

A water industry investigation of the levels and types of microplastics entering a range of UK wastewater treatment works reported that conventional treatment can remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a technical standard for microplastic filters in washing machines; and whether his Department has had recent discussions with industry representatives on developing a technical standard.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines and encourage their use.

Defra commissioned an evidence assessment to understand the efficiencies, costs and benefits of installing filters in washing machines to trap microplastic fibres shredded from clothing during washing cycles. The report showed that filters demonstrated a range of efficiencies and costs associated with them. We recommended that filter manufacturers collaborate with the washing machine industry to develop and implement standardised tests to provide unequivocal performance data for the relevant government departments to consider. We await industry’s proposals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the level of microplastic pollution in biosolids; and whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle this issue.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government continues to review the regulatory framework for biosolids spread to land to protect human health and the environment.

The Government has taken a range of steps to stop sources of plastics and microplastics entering sewers and moving into biosolids, including:

• We have already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and the Government has been working at pace with devolved administrations to deliver a ban on wet wipes containing plastic. We recently ran a consultation on this and a government response setting out more information will be published in the spring.

• We have funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. Defra has also contributed to the design and development of the UK Water Industry Research funded and led Chemicals Investigation Programme (CIP) to improve our understanding of quantity and source of contaminants, including microplastics, in biosolids. This research will help to inform future policy.

• In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines as a measure to reduce a primary source of microplastic fibres to wastewater treatment and the wider environment and encourage their use. Defra commissioned an evidence assessment to understand the efficiencies, costs and benefits of installing filters in washing machines to trap microplastic fibres shredded from clothing during washing cycles. The report showed that filters demonstrated a range of efficiencies and costs associated with them. We recommended that filter manufacturers collaborate with the washing machine industry to develop and implement standardised tests to provide unequivocal performance data for the relevant government departments to consider. We await industry’s proposals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the average amount of microplastics present in sewage sludge.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Research has been performed to improve the understanding of microplastics in sewage sludge. Defra has contributed to the design and development of the UK Water Industry Research funded and led Chemicals Investigation Programme (CIP) in this area. While the third CIP phase, reported in 2022, estimated an average mass of microplastics in final sludge products (generated from the sewage treatment processes), it was noted there could be large differences in the estimated values, and in sludge products from different works, and between sludge product samples taken at different occasions from the same treatment works.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle microplastic pollution originating from textiles.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Microplastics can enter the environment from several sources such as vehicle tyre wear, machine-washing clothes and from textiles themselves.

Defra funded a rapid evidence assessment in 2022 to better understand the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of installing filters in washing machines to trap textile microfibres during the laundry cycle and before discharge to wastewater treatment works. Evidence gaps were identified from the review and the conclusion was made that further information is required to meet the legal framework to drive action. For example, there is a need to better understand how to avert additional costs incurred by consumers of new washing machines with filters, and the consumer’s sustainable disposal of used filters. We need to ensure all evidence to support the introduction of filters is robust and fully reviewed. We have conveyed this to the industry, and we look forward to any proposals they are able to share when they are able to do so.

We are also working with the UK water industry to understand the effectiveness of other interventions in the wastewater system to tackle microplastic pollution and to characterise and quantify microplastics and fibres entering wastewater treatment works. Research to-date shows that wastewater treatment plants are effective at removing microplastics and -fibres from wastewater from the home environment, with up to 99% of microplastic particles removed throughout the wastewater treatment process.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of the impact of the (a) design and (b) manufacture of textiles on microplastic pollution.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department has not made (actual) assessments of the impact of the design and manufacture of textiles on environmental microplastic pollution. Defra recently funded a project to develop and validate methods to detect, quantify and characterise microplastics and microplastic fibres from textiles used in clothing in rivers and their sediments. The techniques were tested on urban and rural rivers, and it was found higher levels of microplastics were present in the urban river.

Defra provided grant funding of £860000 to WRAP's Textiles 2030, which began in 2021. The programme brings together brands & retailers representing more than 62% of all clothing placed on the UK market to drive industry collaboration on circular design, circular business models, (resale, rental, subscription, repair, recycling) and closing the loop on materials (recycling).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment networks in filtering out microplastics.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Government recently funded an external rapid evidence assessment to better understand the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of installing filters in washing machines. The filters aim to trap textile microplastic fibres during the laundry cycle and before discharge to sewer networks and wastewater treatment works. The assessment concluded further evidence was needed to determine how to avert additional costs incurred by consumers of new washing machines with filters, and the consumer’s sustainable disposal of used filters.

A water industry investigation of the levels and types of microplastics entering a range of UK wastewater treatment works reported that conventional treatment can remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass.

We think the Government should mandate microplastic filters on all new washing machines from 2027. 700,000 microplastic fibres can be released in every clothes wash. We think action is needed!

Found: Evidence shows synthetic fibres from clothing are a source of microplastics in water bodies and can harm

Found: Plastic can fragment into 516 | P a g e nano/microparticles (i.e., nano/microplastics) and be

Found: • Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), trace elements (TE) and microplastics in biotic and abiotic

Found: management, circularity and other environmental impacts such as biodiversity, water, chemicals and microplastics

Found: sectors having significant impacts on the marine environment - we heard concerns about the impact that microplastics

Found: single -use vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: single -use vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: single -use vapes whi ch have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: single -use vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: single-use vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: single -use vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics

Found: disposable vapes which have a plastic casing are littered, the plastic can grind down into harmful microplastics