One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires

Summary

This article explains how tire wear particles—tiny rubber and plastic fragments shed from tires during driving—are washed by rain into streams, lakes, and oceans, making tires one of the largest sources of environmental microplastic pollution. Understanding tire wear as a dominant microplastic source is essential for prioritizing mitigation strategies, from road design and urban runoff management to rethinking tire material composition.