President Obama signed a bipartisan bill at the end of last year that bans the manufacturing of consumer care products containing plastic microbeads by July 1, 2017 and the sale of such products by July 1, 2018. The Microbead Free Waters Act bans all forms of plastic microbeads, including those that are labeled as made from “biodegradable plastics.” Congress passed this legislation as part of an initiative to combat global micro-plastic pollution.
Plastic microbeads are found in face washes, body cleansers, shampoos and toothpaste. Because of their tiny size, the beads flow through waste water treatment facility devices and do not disintegrate once they end up in a body of water. The ban is intended to protect the nation’s waterways, fish and wildlife. The beads have been detected in the bodies of a wide range of marine life organisms. They can also be a magnet for toxins that are absorbed by the plastic and ingested by wildlife. A recent report found that one quarter of fish sold at markets in California contained plastic ingested from a water source.
The federal legislation follows on the heels of the extraordinary measure passed by California lawmakers (AB 888) in September, 2015, which banned the sale of consumer care products containing plastic microbeads beginning in 2020. California joined Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland and New Jersey in enacting anti-micro bead legislation.
The non-biodegradable beads have been found in bulk in various California waterways, including the Los Angeles River, Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes. It is estimated that microbeads result in 38 tons of plastic pollution in California annually. The California version of the ban also ensured that harmful substitutes cannot be used in place of plastic microbeads. Ultimately, legislators hope to promote the development of consumer products with environmentally conscious ingredients to prevent further environmental destruction.
Contact Shane Coons at 949-333-0900 or visit his website at www.ShaneCoonsLaw.com to find out more about his practice.