Cosmetics companies must be
banned from using plastic microbeads in scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products
because of the marine pollution they are causing, say a group of MPs. Members
of the environmental audit committee have called for a ban within 18 months
after hearing that trillions of tiny pieces of plastic are accumulating in the
world’s oceans, lakes and estuaries, harming marine life and entering the food
chain. About 86 tonnes of microplastics are released into the environment every
year in the UK from facial exfoliants alone, they were told. Microplastic
pollution comes from the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic waste, small
synthetic fibres from clothing and the microbeads used in cosmetics and other
products. The microbeads in scrubs, shower gels and toothpastes are an
avoidable part of this plastic pollution problem. A single shower could result
in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean, said the committee chair, Mary
Creagh.