Do washing machines damage the environment? How you can minimise impact

<p>Some do it every day, some do it weekly - no matter how often you run your load, washing clothes is a common affair in nearly every household.&nbsp;But this seemingly&nbsp;harmless&nbsp;everyday&nbsp;activity&nbsp;can have&nbsp;a far-reaching&nbsp;impact&nbsp;on&nbsp;the environment.</p> <p>According to&nbsp;<a href=https://www.energystar.gov/products/clothes_washers>Energy Star</a>, the average household&nbsp;runs its washing machine&nbsp;300 times a year, using 300-1,500 watts of energy per hour and nearly 51,000&nbsp;litres of water.&nbsp;And it is possible to release up to 700,000&nbsp;synthetic microplastic fibres into freshwater with every round of washing, as per a 2016 study in <a href=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X16307639%20><em>Marine Pollution Bulletin</em></a>.&nbsp;Add to this the&nbsp;heat,&nbsp;electricity and detergent utilised&nbsp;every time you do use your washing machine.&nbsp;</p> <p>All of this calculates towards the&nbsp;carbon impact of doing a load of laundry. This can be as high as&nbsp;3.3 kg of carbon emissions when washing with 60&deg;C hot water in a combined washer-dryer. As calculated by Mike Berners-Lee, a carbon&nbsp;footprinting&nbsp;expert for <em>The Guardian,</em> the carbon footprint is 0.6 kg when washing with water at 30&deg;C temperature and drying the&nbsp;clothes on the line.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>ALSO WATCH&nbsp;<a href=https://www.editorji.com/story/microplastic-filters-in-washing-machines-not-doing-the-job-study-1593431385803>Microplastic filters in washing machines not doing the job: study</a></strong></p> <p>If you want to reduce the environmental cost of your laundry, here are some handy tips:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li><strong>Use the cold setting:&nbsp;</strong>Heating the water makes up a large part of your washing machine&rsquo;s energy consumption. Most modern detergents work fine with cold water&nbsp;and it may even make your clothes last longer.<br /><br /></li> <li><strong>Wear it again:</strong>&nbsp;Save for intimates or socks, you don&rsquo;t need to wash most things after a single wear. Items like jeans, trousers, jackets&nbsp;or dressier tops can be worn more than once without washing.<br /><br /></li> <li><strong>Avoid plastic fibres:&nbsp;</strong>The only way to reduce microplastic pollution is by buying fewer products that create it. Avoid petroleum-based synthetics like nylon or polyester&nbsp;that are known to shed thousands of fibres while washing.<br /><br /></li> <li><strong>Hang drying:&nbsp;</strong>Dryers use up a huge amount of energy and save for rainy or super chilly&nbsp;days, you can actually avoid them altogether.&nbsp;So, hang your clothes to dry when you can and this will even lessen the wear and tear caused by machine dryers.<br /><br /></li> <li><strong>Combine loads:</strong>&nbsp;Many households have a habit of running a load every day no matter what. But if you&rsquo;ve&nbsp;only got a small number of things, save it for the next load and handwash if you need something urgently.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><strong>WATCH MORE&nbsp;<a href=https://www.editorji.com/story/delicate-wash-is-the-worst-for-the-environment-1569653253532>Delicate wash is the worst for the environment&nbsp;</a></strong></p>