Scientists have long known that tyres contribute to microplastic pollution, as wear on the roads releases microfibres into the environment, leading to increased plastic contamination of soils and waterways. Now a study from Friends of the Earth has sought to quantify the scale of the problem, estimating that UK vehicles release up to 68,000 tonnes of microplastic pollution from their tyres every years. The report adds that between 7,000 and 19,000 tonnes of the resulting tyre microfibres end up in UK waterways. The estimates build on separate research that suggests make the mixture of natural and synthetic rubber threads and particles released by tyres the single largest source of microplastic pollution entering EU waters.

The government has recently banned the use of microplastics in cosmetic products and funded research to assess how to tackle other sources of marine microplastic solution.

However, Friends of the Earth is now calling on the government to ensure its upcoming Resource and Waste Strategy includes specific new measures for tackling microplastics as part of a comprehensive action plan. Specifically, the group is calling on the government to introduce a standardised test to measure tyre tread abrasion rates and impose a car tyre levy to pay for research into how to tackle microplastic pollution solutions and incentivise the purchase of greener tyres. It also recommends the introduction of new road designs, such as ‘gully pots’ and the use of porous asphalt, to capture microplastic pollution before it enter drains, alongside wider efforts to encourage less driving and the wider use of public transport.

The campaign group’s report also highlights how microplastics are being released from a variety of sources. It calculates that the washing of synthetic clothing is leading to the release of between 2,300 and 5,900 tonnes of fibres each year, with an estimated 150 to 2,900 tonnes passing through wastewater treatment into rivers and estuaries. The plastic pellets used to manufacture plastic products are thought to lead to between 200 and 5,900 tonnes of microplastic pollution each year, while paints on buildings and road markings contribute an estimated 1,400 and 3,700 tonnes of surface water pollution per year. Microplastics are known to present a significant environmental threat, absorbing toxins before they enter the food chain.

As such, Friends of the Earth is also calling on the government to introduce a new Plastics Pollution Action Plan, which would aim for near zero plastic pollution by 2042 and set up of an expert Committee on Plastics Pollution to advise ministers. “It’s staggering that so little is being done to prevent thousands of tonnes of microplastic pollution from car tyres, clothing and paints pouring into our rivers and seas every year,” said Friends of the Earth plastics campaigner Julian Kirby. “Microplastic pollution may be largely invisible, but it’s having a potentially devastating effect on our natural environment – especially as it can be mistaken for food by some our smallest ocean creatures, which are then eaten by bigger creatures as part of the food chain.  Click here to read the report