A new bill in the state Legislature would ban the manufacturing and sale of personal care products with microbeads. But, as Cheyna Roth reports, the small plastic beads are already banned in some products at the federal level.
Democratic Representative Laurie Pohutsky says it’s important for Michigan’s waterways that microbeads are kept out. That’s because when they’re in products, and washed down the drain, they can get into lakes and rivers.
“Their purpose is not as important as the risk that they’re posing by just creating an exorbitant amount of plastic waste that’s just being sent down the drain.”
Pohutsky says Michigan can’t just rely on the federal ban. She says that’s because the federal government could reverse the prohibition. Pohutsky’s bill is also a little stricter than the federal ban.
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—Cheyna Roth is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
