Giving up fleece

[hugoagogo]

I am worried about microplastics so have decided to try and give it up.
It seems wasteful to just chuck it all away, I don't really wear it outside, but have lots of dressing gowns fluffy bed hoody things as well as blankets for me and the cat.
I have a guppy bag to wash them in.
What can I buy to start to replace them, that is practical and warm?
Can they be recycled? Most things are now too scruffy to pass on and of course the next person to have them would wash them?..

Yes, scruffy clothes can be recycled. You can put any fabric in clothing banks and the people who empty them separate out the saleable stuff from the scruffy stuff, which is recycled to make insulation or stuff like that.

I was vaguely aware that fleece shedded microfibres, but Iv'e probably been doing my bit by not washing them anywhere near as often as the average Mumsnetter .

But I hadn't heard of the guppy bag and googling tells me that you might be able to get an add on filter for your washing machine, or new washing machines might have them as standard so that's something I will look into more.

Now that you already have them, surely the most environmentally friendly option is to keep them and to use your Guppy bag for washing? better than using up more resources to replace them and/or having someone else wash them without the Guppy bag.

Yes I agree the best thing would be to use them, and when they are no longer useful replace with a more eco-friendly fabric.

I had to Google guppy bag, it sounds amazing, might have to go and buy one!

I’d say keep and use them until no longer usable and use guppy bag to wash them. Creating more waste isn’t environmentally friendly! ( do you know what happens to most clothes that go for “recycling”?)

Wool would have been the traditional warm layer. Knitted jumpers can be relatively easily mended if holey etc. Though they make me itch like mad do not for everyone!
There’s also merino wool but avoid Australian merino if concerned with animal welfare.

Some things I have had 15 or 20 years I fear they may survive the apocalypse!

Is merino the most hard wearing type of wool? I had heard about animal welfare problems with it, nothing comes without guilt does it?

I remember fleece and e cloths being marketed as environmentally friendly because fleece could be made from recycled milk bottles and e cloths saved on chemicals.