Microplastics contaminating NZ wastewater

The first study in New Zealand into microplastics in wastewater plants has found hundreds of thousands of microplastics enter the ocean around Aotearoa every day. Taking samples from water coming into and going out of three wastewater plants, Helena Ruffell from the University of Canterbury was able to determine how many microplastics were being caught by filters and how much is going out to sea. Microplastics are plastics under 5mm in diameter, sometimes so small that they can't be seen by the human eye. Helena spoke to our producer Ellie Jay.