The plastic we drink: How can Chicago help curb Lake Michigan microplastic pollution?

“This is a huge problem that we need to address at a systemic level,” said Gabby Plotkin, senior policy manager at Illinois Environmental Council. 

Right now, she added, municipal filters can’t remove microplastics.

“The only way to do that would be on an individual level like buying a filter that particularly addresses microplastics,” Plotkin said. “That’s why we’re pushing for policy changes.”

Plotkin, Prins and Sargis said the City Hall was receptive to them and their colleagues’ advocating for a single-use plastic ban in Chicago. 

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