UK bans on making products with microbeads — tiny plastic particles in everything from cosmetics to shampoo and toothpaste — in an effort to protect marine life.
“The world’s seas and oceans are some of our most valuable natural assets. I am determined we act now to tackle the plastic that devastates our precious marine life,” said Environment Minister Therese Coffey.
The plastic beads are added to these products to act as an exfoliant. They are typically so small that they flow through treatment filters, polluting waterways with particles that are ultimately eaten or absorbed by wildlife in rivers and seas.
Other countries have also taken steps to banning them in products. Former US president Barack Obama outlawed microbeads in rinse-off products in 2015. New Zealand and Canada have also prohibited them, effective this year in 2018.
The British added a 5 pence charge to plastic bags in supermarkets and other shops in 2015. It may also enact other initiatives to try and reduce waste, according to Coffey. Next up will be a ban on the sale of products with microbeads, according to an emailed statement.
“Now we have reached this important milestone, we will explore how we can build on our world-leading ban and tackle other forms of plastic waste,” she said.
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Source: Bloomberg, 9 January 2018