5 Gyres

10/09/2026

This shouldn’t be normal 💔🌊

But unfortunately, microplastics are everywhere. They’re in our oceans, our wildlife, our homes, and even our own bodies — putting ecosystems and public health at risk.

📢 That’s why it’s time to tackle plastic pollution at the source. Join us in demanding targeted solutions at 5gyres.org/MicroplasticFreeUS

📸: kendy

10/06/2026

From beauty routines to everyday products, microplastics are often hiding in plain sight 👀💅🏻🦷🧴

📢 Join us in demanding solutions for a today at 5gyres.org/microplasticfreeus (link in bio)

🎥: Dana | microplastics researcher

10/05/2026

5 Gyres' Senior Digital Marketing Lead, Hannah Tizedes, is urging Illinois lawmakers to protect the Great Lakes from microplastic pollution by advancing meaningful plastics policies. 📢

"State lawmakers need to think bigger. Much of the microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes is microfibers, the tiny plastic strands that come from clothing and other textiles — and a major source is our washing machines."

Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune 👉

The Great Lakes deserve our protection, and the region is counting on state leaders to preserve it.

10/02/2026

📢 Another step toward reducing plastic pollution!

The City of Solana Beach has passed the Microplastic Prevention Resolution. 👏

This resolution calls on the next Governor of California to address microplastic pollution, including but not limited to, sources from the food and beverage industry, intentionally added microplastics in cosmetics, and microfibers from laundering clothing, by exercising gubernatorial authority to sign into law legislation passed by the California State Legislature.

Thank you to Mayor Lesa Heebner and the Solana Beach City Council for taking this important step forward for our public and environmental health.

Read more about the resolution: https://pub-solanabeach.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=5014

09/30/2026

Plastic chemicals are inundating our homes — from personal care products to children’s toys and kitchen utensils. But at what cost to our health?

Read the full article 👉

Plastics riddled with high-risk chemicals are in clothes, food, toys and common household items, a new investigation revealed.

09/21/2026

As concerns about the health impacts of microplastics grow, 5 Gyres' Director of Science & Innovation Dr. Lisa Erdle spoke with Food & W**e to share what the science tells us.

Learn more, including tips for reducing your exposure to microplastics in the kitchen:

Home cooks are becoming increasingly worried about microplastics, as research reveals the harmful effects they can have on health. These five sources of microplastic in the kitchen, including cutting boards, cooking utensils, skillets, hand towels, and plastic wrap, are easy to replace.

09/17/2026

Meet Melissa Valliant, our new Communications Director!🌊

Melissa will be leading 5 Gyres' media strategy, turning complex science and policy into stories people can actually act on. In her previous roles, her work has appeared in the The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Scientific American, and more, and she's led the publication of major reports on marine animal impacts, biomaterials, and state plastics policies.

She grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore, where her love of the Chesapeake Bay turned into a career fighting for it. 🌊

Join us in welcoming Melissa to the team! 💙

09/16/2026

Our first-ever scientific land-based expedition is officially complete! 📢🥾🔬

Over two weeks, our team and expedition participants hiked the full 174-mile Tahoe Rim Trail loop, collecting 28 soil samples, 35 air samples, and documenting hundreds of pieces of litter using the TrashBlitz app along the way. 🌲

These samples will help our team investigate what types of microplastics are reaching some of our most remote backcountry areas. So while the expedition may be over, the science is just beginning!

A big thank you to our partners at Tahoe Rim Trail Association for guiding the way!

Stay tuned for more about what we found on the trails! ⛰️

09/09/2026

📢 Our wild places deserve better!

Help us protect our national, state, and local parks by logging trash you find with the App. More details at 5gyres.org/PlasticFreeParks 💙

📸: Kaysha Kenney 🌊