Environmental Justice

The Government Takes Action

Because of the significant research that has taken place to bring about awareness of plastic pollutants in our water, concerned citizens and local leaders have called the government to action, in an attempt to protect and secure safe and clean water for all life on earth.
The United States has made huge steps in banning the production of microbeads. In 2015, the United States government created the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015.This act states:

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban rinse-off cosmetics that contain intentionally-added plastic microbeads beginning on January 1, 2018, and to ban manufacturing of these cosmetics beginning on July 1, 2017. These bans are delayed by one year for cosmetics that are over-the-counter drugs.
    

The state of Minnesota has also supported the ban on microbeads, under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 325E. According to MPR News, Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting the ban in a 48-15 vote.¹ Under this bill, manufacturers are required to phase out of microbead production. This bill states:

A bill for an act relating to environment; prohibiting sale of certain personal care products  containing synthetic plastic microbeads;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325E.


Other campaigns have been started, both small and large scale, to combat the microbead problem.  These include the international Beat the Bead initiative that includes an app. consumers can use to scan various products that might contain microbeads and the Ban the Bead campaign put on by 5 Gyres.  The Alliance for the Great Lakes, a nearly 50 year-old organization, continues to protect and improve the Great Lakes and stop plastic pollution.

 

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