TAMPA, Fla. — As a clothing resale and rental store in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood, Valhalla Resale does a lot of laundry.
"Since we do laundry every day, I wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing," said Danielle Ferrari, owner of Valhalla Resale.
That's one of the main reasons Ferrari chose to install a Filtrol filter to work with the store's washing machine to stop plastic microfiber pollution. The Filtrol acts as a washing machine lint and microfiber filter. It's a growing problem across the country.
According to Fitrol's website, microfiber pollution finds its way into our waterways, streams, creeks, lakes and oceans primarily through laundry drainage. Microscopic particles come from recycled materials like plastic bottles and many of the materials they are used to make like fleece and nylon. They are not filtered out by traditional water treatment processes because they are too small.
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The particles find their way through municipal water filtration and then act as sponges when they enter our ecosystem, according to Fitrol. They absorb oils, chemicals, pesticides, industrial wastes and other toxins
Ferrari can't believe what comes out of even just a few loads of laundry.
"Seeing is believing," she said. "I'm upset with myself for not doing it sooner, just because I didn't realize how bad it was."
The Filtrol is priced at $139.99.
There are other products, such as the Coraball, that also work to filter microfiber waste out of washing machines. The Cora Ball is priced at $37.99.
Ferrari says whatever you choose, by reducing microfiber waste into our waterways, you're helping keep Tampa a clean and safe place to call home.
