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

Most tires are made of synthetic rubber that sheds particles of microplastics over time. Rapeepong Puttakumwong/Moment via Getty Images

Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go?

The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particles from the tires’ synthetic rubber carry several chemicals that can transfer into fish, crabs and perhaps even the people who eat them.