We have all heard of microplastics, but have you realised how close they are to your own home? How much contamination is in the waters that surround Aotearoa?

Microplastics pose a threat to our country's beautiful environment, infiltrating ecosystems and bringing risks to wildlife. Imagine enjoying a seafood dinner, only to realise you might also be consuming tiny, invisible pieces of plastic. Particles infiltrating our food and water shift the question from “if” to “how” they might be impacting our wellbeing and our ecosystem.

What are microplastics, you may be asking? Microplastics are particles that are smaller than 5 mm in diameter that never completely break down, polluting our aquatic and terrestrial landscapes. Causes of microplastics in Aotearoa include primary: tiny plastic used for commercial use such as fishing nets or plastic pellets used in your favourite candy wrapping. Secondary microplastics are the result of larger plastics like bags, bottles, and in the Marlborough Sounds a higher commodity of agricultural runoff deteriorating from natural causes.

A recent estimate suggests that as much as 358 trillion microscopic particles are floating on the surface of the world's oceans. After collecting my own water samples on the surface of Wharehunga Bay’s waters and looking at them under the microscope, we could see the most prominent microplastics found within my samples were fibres. After conversing with two researchers from the University of Auckland, we concluded that the most probable cause for this is the popular aquaculture here in the Marlborough Sounds, creating the problem of breakoff from fishing nets used.

Tiny, invisible particles are harming our oceans and environments. Equipment not built for conditions and everyday excess, like plastic bags and bottles are decomposing, finding their way to the seafloor and our drinking water sources. The harm caused to marine life is both unreasonable and preventable, with potential strings of effect on the food chain. We are damaging our sustainability and biophysical environment here within Aotearoa.

So what can we do about this? To reduce plastic production, we can reduce our consumption, and remove the demand for plastic products. Trying not to buy food packaged in plastic, or using a sustainably produced keep-cup for your coffee is one way to do this. When you buy clothes, you can go for natural fabrics, or secondhand to reduce the demand on the supply chain. To reduce the impact and production of microplastics, we need to think about what is non-essential in our homes, and how we can do better in other areas of our lives, too.