Should an immediate ban on microbeads in toiletries be imposed?
Many cosmetics and toiletries such as shower gels and anti-ageing creams, scrubs and even toothpastes contain thousands of tiny microbeads to add body and provide abrasion.
These tiny plastic beads are then flushed into our rivers and the sea and then eaten by fish and shellfish which we eventually consume. It has been estimated that an average plate of shellfish could contain as many as 50 plastic particles.
There is now a demand for an immediate ban in the UK which has been called by the Greenpeace, Marine Conservation Society and Fauna & Flora international. Some cosmetic companies have said there should be a voluntary ban on them and the EU is looking to ban them in 2020
However MPs have now joined the call for an immediate ban with the Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Mary Creagh saying
“Trillions of tiny pieces of plastic are accumulating in the world’s oceans, lakes and estuaries, harming marine life and entering the food chain. A single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean. Cosmetic companies’ voluntary approach to phasing out plastic microbeads simply won’t wash. We need a full legal ban.”
Products that contain them don’t necessarily list “microbeads” in the list of ingredients. Instead, they will often list the petrochemical plastics that go into them, such as polyethylene and polypropylene.
We all probably use many products containing microbeads, and are not aware of this. They could be harming all of us, contaminating our environment and harming not only us, but our children and grandchildren.
What are your views. Do you consciously try to avoid buying products containing microbeads? Should we have an immediate ban in the UK of cosmetics containing microbeads? Is it fair to delay this potential ban?
What are your views?
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I am now one of the world's biggest hypocrites, as my vanity has seen me add this toothpaste to my shopping list. Gosh I hate myself 🙁
They will decompose quickly and leave no residue and are completely natural, these polymer beads will last for centuries and will slowly accumulate in the oceans and particulate filters in sewage plants are too coarse to stop them
We're slowly killing this planet with our greed and materialism. Sorry to sound preachy but the environment and the creatures we share this planet with are causes close to my heart.
Ever been on a "beach clean" in SE Asia? Once you've done one, and seen how just much rubbish - especially plastic - is washed up onto beaches in such places as Thailand and Cambodia, it (hopefully) changes your attitude.
Have just done a bit of Googling, and there is a list of UK companies that say they don't use microbeads in any of their products (presume they mean 'own brand' products?).
All the big supermarkets plus Wilko and Boots and others.
- www.plasticsoupfoundation.org has more information.
life.
I note the new extra long lasting Lenor kills fish - it said so on the packaging I read and then didn't buy.
Ultimately the majority of people don't care and government has to step in and do the right thing. Production can be stopped immediately, the microbeads can be melted back down to whatever they started life as.
I felt the little micro beads in my fingertips these small creatures would think its food i soon got rid of the toothpaste in my incinerator and have gone on to a different brand.
Unfortunately, most people who use products containing microbeads are unaware they are doing so.
I would suggest that until a ban is implemented, the manufacturers should clearly label products, so that the microbeads are included in the list of ingredients. Then at the very least consumers could choose whether or not to use them.
Some companies such as Burts Bees are using biodegradable replacements like crushed coconut husks as replacements. It can be done!
They are, to say the least, one of the great deceivers of our time.