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Report found microplastics in Minnesota rivers, lakes in all samples tested • Minnesota Reformer [1]

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Date: 2025-10 

Microplastics were found in every sample tested from 40 lakes, rivers and streams across Minnesota, according to a report recently released by Environment Minnesota Research and Policy Center.

Plastic that makes its way into the environment degrades into microplastics over time, small pieces of plastic that don’t decompose like organic waste. The presence of microplastics in all tested waterways highlights one consequence of Minnesota’s plastic waste — Minnesota disposed of more than 650,000 tons of plastic in 2022, just 10% of which was recycled, according to studies cited in the report.

Microplastics is a relatively new and evolving area of study. Researchers have found microplastics in human tissues and organs, including in the brain, which enter the body through breathing or ingestion. Scientists don’t know the precise negative effects on wildlife and humans but are actively exploring them.

“We just don’t know and hopefully we can continue to fund the efforts to figure out what these microplastics can do,” said Katelynn Rolfes, the author of the report.

Studies have shown that microplastics harm metabolism, neurological function and reproduction in animals, and a few epidemiological studies have shown that microplastics are correlated with various chronic diseases in humans. For example, a 1999 study looked at multiple instances of work-related lung disease in U.S. and Canadian nylon fiber workers.

All 40 sites contained synthetic fibers, which come from clothing and textiles; 10 sites contained harder plastic fragments; and five sites contained film from bags and flexible plastics. The study did not find any microbeads, which are tiny plastics found in body scrubs and other beauty products.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated in 2017 that 35% of microplastics come from the degradation of synthetic fibers, such as polyester and nylon, typically from clothes and textiles.

The report is based on samples collected by citizen volunteers and staff from Environment Minnesota between May and September.

The report lists several policy recommendations to mitigate microplastics, including phasing out single-use plastics and plastic bags, implementing a refundable deposit for plastic bottles and passing laws preventing clothing manufacturers from overproducing.

Minnesota passed an “extended producer responsibility” law in 2024 requiring packaging producers to shoulder more of the responsibility for disposing or recycling their products, though it has not yet joined the states entertaining EPR legislation for textile producers. California was the first state to pass an EPR law for textiles in 2024, and similar bills have been proposed in New York and Washington.

Starting in 2017, Minnesota banned local jurisdictions from enacting their own single-use or plastic bag bans. State policy is split on the issue — 19 states have some statewide single-use plastic ban, while 19 states, including Minnesota, don’t have bans and also forbid local jurisdictions from enacting bans. The remaining states don’t have statewide bans but also allow local governments to make their own regulations.

Minnesota legislators have, in the past few years, introduced bills to reverse the ban on plastic bag bans, though they have yet to pass.

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[1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/report-found-microplastics-in-minnesota-rivers-lakes-in-all-samples-tested/

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