Micro-beads and micro-plastics have harmful effects on sea life and the environment
Micro-beads are banned in the USA. Canada, the UK, Netherlands, France and Italy preparing to ban them.
Waterford’s Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan’s private members bill on microbeads is up in the Seanad for second stage debate on Wednesday next, November 23rd.
The Micro-Plastic and Micro-bead Pollution Prevention Bill 2016, aims to see an end to the manufacture and sale of micro-beads in cosmetic products, and to set in place monitoring procedures around the environmental impact of micro-plastics.
Micro-beads are tiny beads of plastic, commonly present in facial scrubs, soaps, shower gels and some toothpastes. Micro-plastics are even smaller particles, which are present in practically all cosmetics – mascara, makeup etc. This particles are too small to be caught in our water filtration systems, and end up in rivers, lakes and seas with a detrimental effect on sea life.
Speaking ahead of the bill’s second stage debate, Senator O’Sullivan said she is confident the bill will receive cross-party support.
“This is close to my heart but I truly believe that our natural heritage is important to most Irish people and I believe my colleagues in the Seanad will agree. This might be a small measure to tackle one of the most obviously unacceptable flows of plastic waste into our rivers and seas, but it’s a very important one. The effects on our oceans and ecology are avoidable. To put it simply - fish can’t tell the difference between these plastic micro-beads and the tiny particles of food they eat. Fish fill up on these mico-beads, which have absolutely no nutritional value, and they can’t be digested. They sit in the fish’s stomach, and they die of malnutrition.
“There’s no need for this when there are equally effective ways of producing quality cosmetics and toiletries that offer value for money, but don’t leave a trail of destruction in their wake.
“The public awareness on this issue is growing. People are starting to move from the identifiably harmful products. But with such a penetration of micro-beads and micro-plastics in the cosmetics industry, many people are unwittingly flushing millions of micro-beads down the drain, whilst micro-plastics are even harder to detect.”
Micro-beads are banned in the USA, and Canada are preparing to enforce a ban, effective mid-2018. In Europe moves are already underway to bring in a ban in the UK, Netherlands, France and Italy.