Reducing microplastics from facial exfoliating cleansers in wastewater through treatment versus consumer product decisions

• Microplastics from leading American brands are characterized as mostly white, opaque, and spherical with sizes ranging from 60 to 800 μm in diameter.
• Consumer survey shows the majority uses facial exfoliating scrubs but were not aware of the microplastics in their products.
• The student residential housing population as a whole is projected to use roughly 5000 g of microplastic sourced from facial exfoliating cleansers, the equivalent of 2500 Ziploc sandwich bags, per year.
• Wastewater treatment plants may not be equipped to handle microplastics.

Microplastics (< 5 mm) have been discovered in fresh and saltwater ecosystems, sediments, and wastewater effluent around the world. Their ability to persist and accumulate up food chains should be a concern as research is still experimenting with techniques to assess their long-term effects on the environment. I sought to characterize the microbeads found in facial exfoliating cleansers so as to better understand how to reduce this source of pollution through consumer use and wastewater treatment solutions. By sampling products from national-grossing cosmetic personal care brands, I was able to gather information on the size, color, volume, mass, and concentration of polyethylene beads in the cleansers. From that data, I modeled onto a consumer survey the estimated volume of microplastics entering a wastewater stream. Through inquiry, I learned the practices of two local wastewater treatment facilities. My findings show that consumer decisions and treatment protocols both play crucial parts in minimizing microplastic pollution.

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