UK Company Catches Microplastics from Car Tires
Just when you thought you knew everything about pollution, something new comes along.
We all know about the pollution that comes from a car's tailpipe.
But a London company called The Tyre Collective says that future vehicle pollution will not come from the tailpipe, but from tires.
Every time a vehicle changes its speed or turns a corner, small particles come off the tires and go into the air.
The Tyre Collective says these particles are actually the second-largest type of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans, after microplastics that come from single-use plastics. And a London bus can produce 65 grams of tire particles per day.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters in size.
The Tyre Collective — founded by four young people who met while studying at colleges in London — thinks it may have found a way to reduce the effect of these flying particles.
The company says it has created a small device that, when put near the back of a tire, can catch 60% of the particles that are produced. And some could even be recycled.
The team describes the process as a little like the way a balloon will stick to other objects after being rubbed against a sweater.
However, as electric vehicles become more popular, they say the problem of tire particles in our air and water will actually get worse, not better — since electric vehicles are heavier than gas-powered cars, which increases the damage done to the tires while driving.
The Tyre Collective hopes to have its product in use by 2024, helping to solve something it calls a global problem.
