Breaking News: Federal Legislation To Ban Plastic Microbeads In Cosmetics Introduced! - 5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action - 5 Gyres – Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action

The 5 Gyres Institute applauds federal legislation just introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) that would ban the use of personal care products containing plastic microbeads. (See below.) Santa Monica-based 5 Gyres is the nonprofit that lead the scientific research in Lake Erie (partnering with State University of New York at Fredonia) that sparked national interest in this issue. 5 Gyres’ co-founder and Director of Research Dr. Marcus Eriksen was lead author of the first scientific paper on this issue. 5 Gyres’ grassroots campaign got Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and the Body Shop to agree to a voluntary phase-out of microbeads. The organization then crafted model legislation, co-authored by 5 Gyres founding board-member Lisa Kaas Boyle and Rachel Doughty, that was made into law in Illinois and upon which the federal legislation is based. 5 Gyres also published their work in the Tulane Law Journal, the first such journal dedicated entirely to plastic pollution, and found sponsors in NY, CA, MN and OH, where bills are pending.

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Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced legislation, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2014, that would prohibit the sale or distribution of personal care products that contain synthetic plastic microbeads. These small bits of plastic, used as exfoliants in personal care products like face wash, soap, and toothpaste, can slip through water treatment systems after they are washed down the drain. As a result, these microbeads often end up in local streams, rivers and larger bodies of water. The bill would ban the sale or distribution of cosmetics products containing plastic microbeads effective January 1, 2018.

“These tiny plastic particles that are polluting our environment are found in products specifically designed to be washed down shower drains,” said Pallone. “And many people buying these products are unaware of their damaging effects. If we know that these products will eventually reach our waterways, we must make sure that they don’t contain synthetic plastic that does not biodegrade and ultimately pollute our waterways. We have a responsibility to put a stop to this unnecessary plastic pollution. By phasing out the use of plastic microbeads and transitioning to non-synthetic alternatives, we can protect U.S. waters before it’s too late.”

Breaking News: Federal Legislation To Ban Plastic Microbeads In Cosmetics Introduced! - 5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action - 5 Gyres – Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action