On Wednesday 2 November, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics Alberto Costa MP presented a bill in Parliament that would make filters mandatory in new washing machines.
Microplastic fibres from textiles are the biggest source of microplastics in our rivers and seas.
If implemented, Alberto’s bill would ask washing machine manufacturers to include a microplastic fibre capture filter in all new domestic washing machines on sale in the UK from 2025. This would make a significant difference to the amount of microplastic fibres from entering into our environment through the domestic laundry cycle. The Microplastic Filters (Washing Machines) Bill is linked to the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics, of which Alberto Costa MP is Chair and the WI is the Secretariat.
Alberto’s Bill is set to be read again in parliament on 3 February 2023.
You can watch Alberto’s speech here (starting at 12:45).